A Conversation for Ask h2g2
De Gauss
Lakeman Started conversation Apr 11, 2003
My monitor has five different languages for playing with the settings. English is the only one that uses the term 'De-Gauss'. All the others say something similar to 'demagnetisation'. Gauss being German might lend favour to Germans using the term, but no.
Any ideas why?
De Gauss
Whisky Posted Apr 11, 2003
Gauss is a scientific term, whilst it is named after the German scientist it's also the term for an international unit of measurement for magnetic induction...
De Gauss
Lakeman Posted Apr 11, 2003
All the more reason to assume it would be universally adopted in the term de-Gauss.
De Gauss
Whisky Posted Apr 11, 2003
**re-reads post one (properly this time)**
Actually you've got a point...
The word Degauss itself is in the Oxford English Dictionary, but maybe the other countries have got it right... instead of using a 'manufactured' word based on the name of a scientist meaning 'to demagnetise' they've just stuck with the original word...
So whereas the word Degauss cannot possible pre-date the end of the 1700s, the word magnet has much older roots (latin/greek???)..A work produced by the physicist/doctor William Gilbert in 1600 on electricity had the title "De magnete, magneticisique corporibus".
So it looks like its just us anglophones who can't be satisfied with a perfectly good existing word.
De Gauss
Potholer Posted Apr 11, 2003
Still, it is a shorter word, and more specific than 'demagnetise', with at least one of its main meanings now being something like
'to [electrically] demagnetise [part of] a piece of equipment to restore normal function'.
One other useful effect of a slightly obscure term is that it may cut the risk of someone non-technical hearing 'demagnetise', and attempting to do the job manually with a large manget.
De Gauss
Sierra Indigo - now Cheesecakethulhu flavoured Posted Apr 12, 2003
And 'Degauss' is just a cool word.
De Gauss
xyroth Posted Apr 13, 2003
of course, some of us do know how to degauss a tv manually using nothing but a large electromagnet. 
xyroth - ex tv repair man.
De Gauss
Lakeman Posted Apr 22, 2003
Hi xyroth. Did you ever see my post about my broken TV called 'magnet on TV'? You could find it on my home page if you were interested.
De Gauss
xyroth Posted Apr 22, 2003
yes I did, but had nothing to add.
clever people we have here at h2g2.
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De Gauss
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