• @[email protected]
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    195 hours ago

    This phrase has never made any sense to me. It’s a circle. If one side is moving right, then the opposite side is moving left. So the phrase only makes sense if you specify which side we are talking about, which nobody ever does. Therefore it’s completely illogical to me while everyone else just gets it. Side note: Autism can be a real bitch sometimes.

    • @MrShankles
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      52 hours ago

      Clockwise and counterclockwise may be more intuitive for some people. Is the clock-hand (wrench) going forward in time, or backwards. But I don’t know of any quick rhyme for that

      • @[email protected]
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        33 hours ago

        They mean is the wrench handle moving left from the 12 o’clock position or left from the 6 o’clock position. You would not believe how many people struggle with lefty righty because of start location.

        I defer to clockwise and counter-clockwise (anti-clockwise in UK). Except for new gen that never learned analog clock stuggles with this concept also.

        Then they encounter a Left Hand thread and the universe implodes

        • @MrShankles
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          12 hours ago

          Shit, a standard thread feels natural to me, but a left hand thread still fucks my life up sometimes — trying to notice what’s going on before I strip it.

          My grill can connect to those camping propane tanks, but it’s threaded opposite… gets me every time

      • @[email protected]
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        13 hours ago

        I love how half the people in this thread are under-thinking it and don’t seem to understand they’re doing so. I wonder whether it’s a bit.

    • @[email protected]
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      63 hours ago

      If you’re looking head on to the screw/nut/whatever then we’re talking about the top of the screw/but/whatever.

      You can also imagine if the nut was actually a wheel. Which way would you spin it to make it roll left or right.

      Confused the hell out of me at a young age. That’s how I came around to thinking of it

    • @[email protected]
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      145 hours ago

      But the entire rotation is either clockwise (right) or counterclockwise (left). Ultimately, its just a helpful reminder which way to turn lol

      • @[email protected]
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        104 hours ago

        Clockwise and counter-clockwise makes sense.

        But when you say “right” it’s not clear which side of the circle is being referenced. If the top of the circle is moving to the right, the bottom is moving left at the same time. So the saying only makes sense when you specify that you’re talking about the top of the circle.

        • @pyre
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          3 hours ago

          you have to have never seen a steering wheel to not understand which side of the circle is being referenced. it’s always the top. who would even reference anything else and why.

          “turn it right”

          “which part???”

          “the middle of course, you absolute alien”

          • @[email protected]
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            13 hours ago

            Because people get confused when there is no space for the wrench at the top, and they put the handle at the bottom and try to move the wrench left or right, not referencing the top of bolt.

            Because they aren’t using the saying as a clokwise/counter clockwise reminder but as a flat out instruction.

        • @RampantParanoia2365
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          44 hours ago

          Yes, it’s always the top side of the circle in this context, or you can think about how clock hands do go in a specific direction, because they’re a radius, not a circumference. There, now it’s cleared up for you.

          • @[email protected]
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            121 minutes ago

            It’s getting so convoluted at this point just knowing clockwise/anticlockwise is infinitely easier.

        • @Zron
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          -24 hours ago

          What the fuck are you talking about.

          You’re either rotating the fastener to the right or the left.

          It doesn’t matter what side you’re talking about, because you’re not moving one side of the fastener, you’re rotating the whole thing one direction or the other.

          Clockwise just means something is rotating to the right.

          If I ask you to turn around to the right, are you going to ask me what side of you I’m referencing?

          • @asap
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            94 hours ago

            Here is clockwise. One arrow is going to the right and one to the left.

            • @[email protected]
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              94 hours ago

              I tend to agree but you could argue that from a perspective in the center of the rotation you’re turning to the right. Imagine standing in the center of those arrows.

            • @Zron
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              24 hours ago

              The whole thing is rotating to the right, that’s what clockwise means. Clocks rotate to the right. One arrow is not pointing left, it’s pointing in the direction of rotation, which is to the right.

              • @seth
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                244 minutes ago

                You think this arrow is pointing to the right, when it is clearly pointing up and to the left? Fascinating.

          • @[email protected]
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            43 hours ago

            If I ask you to turn around to the right, are you going to ask me what side of you I’m referencing?

            No, because humans have a pretty clear forward direction. Screws don’t. You say turn a screw to the right, do you mean make the top of the screw move right or the bottom move right?

            Most people assume the top, but not all, and the language is ambiguous.

          • @[email protected]
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            23 hours ago

            You aee assuming a top orientation moving to the right. Give somebody a wrench handle at the bottom of nut and tell them left to loosen, you will see how most take it literally and move handle to the left side of their body. they think in terms of their left and their right, not the screws right left from a starting location at top, or if from 4 oclock position to the “left of” 4 oclock as if you were facing the 4.

    • @lefixxx
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      34 hours ago

      I agree but there is a intuitive way once you are holding it. I remember looking at a car wheel and the signal lever not understanding how do people decided that up on the lever means right. Yeah it’s connected to the wheel rotation but why turning the wheel clockwise means turning right? When I actually sat on the driver seat there was an instinct.For most people It’s more logical to look at the “top” of the circle and corelate it’s movement with turning left/right.

      A thing that annoyed me is when table top games use a non determinist way to define player order. It always depends on the observer.alIf you just say “then the you pass your turn to the left”, what left? From my perspective; from the top down perspective translating it to counterclockwise? From the tables perspective which is the opposite?

    • @Seasm0ke
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      3 hours ago

      I remember when my grandpa was like why not just keep going? I was pulling the ratchet end of the wrench off the bolt at the bottom… I said but that side is left and he laughed and said its just to get you started and told me the clock thing. Dont ever ask me to put a nut on a bolt I will cross thread it every time.

    • @[email protected]
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      24 hours ago

      I used to feel the same way. If you’re talking about the direction you’re moving your hand, it assumes your hand is above, not below.

      Had a similar hangup with less than/greater than symbols.