[dangero]

I thought mechanical pencils used graphite not lead

[new299]

No pencils use “lead”. It’s just called lead because the original material used looks similar to lead ore.

See manufacturing section here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pencil

[bdcravens]

The words we use are funny.

I had a conversation with my wife yesterday explaining to her that "gas" (gasoline) wasn't a gas. (it can become one, but that's not where the name comes from)

[Wowfunhappy]

Well, but in this case they're just homonyms, like how the word "bank" can refer to the edge of a river or a financial institution. The gas in your car is short for "gasoline"; you wouldn't call oxygen a type of gasoline, it's a gas.

[a1369209993]

Actually, "bank" isn't just homonyms; both senses derive from circa-Proto-Germanic benc/bank: a bench or other raised area (either a bank counter or the raised ground adjacent to a riverbed). (And yes, this etymology is also shared with "bench".)

[lallysingh]

I think the original financial institutions were actually on the rivers to handle the business around river-transported cargo.

[lukan]

And if you push the gas pedal, it does not mean more gasoline comes in, but more air (which then makes more gasoline comes in).

And people fear, that soon too many of the undividable atoms will be divided.

[bdcravens]

I was watching a YouTube video the other day that called the accelerator the "gas pedal" - which makes sense, except it was a video about an EV.

I wonder if that term will one day become disconnected from the original meaning, like "hang up" or the floppy save icon.

[Daneel_]

Most of the other terms are global ones (hang up, save icon, etc), but gas pedal is pretty specific to the US as far as I know, so it’s much less likely to hang around like that.

Here in Australia it’s the accelerator, or accelerator pedal.

[IndrekR]

Estonian word is “gaasipedaal”, which pretty much means “gas pedal”. Gasoline is “bensiin”, no relation to that. The word for pedal comes from accelerator regulating gas-mixture valve (throttle) in carburettor. “Gas-mixture” here is air mixed with atomised fuel.

[lukan]

At least in german I saw EV cars described having a "strom pedal" (electricity/power pedal). More correct I guess, but also a bit odd. We will see, whether it will stick.

[stavros]

In Greek we call it "γκάζι", which means "natural gas", so it's already wrong. I'm fine with that persisting in EVs

[parpfish]

Unless it’s diesel, because there the accelerator causes more fuel to squirt in rather than opening the throttle body.

But can do you call diesel gas?

[AnotherGoodName]

Likewise anything new. The idea that it allows more air in that then allows more fuel is true for carbureted based engines. But they don’t actually exist outside of lawnmowers/chainsaws anymore. Everything from the timing to fuel injection and air intake is computer controlled.

[garaetjjte]

Fuel injected engines doesn't necessarily have electronically controlled throttle. And even when they do, injection amount isn't derived directly from pedal position. What's important is amount of air sucked into the cylinder, which is calculated from manifold air pressure or mass air flow sensor readings.

[parpfish]

Really? My new-ish car (2019) just has the pedal connected to the throttle body with a cable. I’d assume that other changes to fuel injection would happen because it sensed more air coming in

[pfortuny]

We do in Spain (“voy a echar gasolina” is both used for diesel and gasoline)…

[parpfish]

In the US it’s context dependent.

If you’re running low on diesel you’d say “I need to get some gas” and you’d get it from a gas station

But if you’re talking about tractors saying that something has a “gas engine” specifically means it is not diesel

[NotYourLawyer]

Graphite is pretty conductive too.