Define "Cleaning."

V. Kurt Bellman, posted: "Most understand entropy as a measure of molecular disorder within a macroscopic system. Apparently, "most" people thinking about coins don't "understand" "entropy", "molecular", "disorder", "macroscopic", or "system". Obviously, most of their intellectual skills are limited to "ooh, shiny"."

I'm in the "most people" group as I don't understand any of it - including that word "entropy."

PS I'll put the club that meets around Morristown, NJ up against any club in the nation as far as smarts. I forgot the club's name but I'm pretty sure Dave Lange was one of its members.

Now that this thread is gone into the weeds (I just helped), I'm going to add my definition of cleaning.

Cleaning is a chemical or mechanical operation on an item seeking to restore it as close as possible to its original state.

Note I don't agree with this one just posted but it is funny and gets the thread back on track: "...the process of brightening a coin that results in a details grade." Cleaning does not always brighten a coin or cause it to be "detailed."

 

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I like mine better.

 

Your what...

 

@V. Kurt Bellman I always enjoy your answers, and agree with them most of the time, however trying to relate scientific terms to decidedly non scientific topics can lead to madness such as "Social Darwinism".

 

I don't agree that it's a non-scientific topic. Perhaps that's the problem du jour. Virtually EVERYTHING is a scientific topic to me, even aesthetics.

 

Maybe yes...maybe no...

 

Most people see someone who is enthralled by a beautiful thing. I wonder about the cerebral electrochemical reactions causing that effect. I have spent a decent portion of the last eight years studying the effects of the cerebral hemhorrage damage I suffered eight years ago TONIGHT, June 23, 2009. And yes, my personality traits were forever changed. I temporarily lost my vocabulary completely. It's why I now cherish it so much. If it offends others, tough tutus. I had to fight like a rabid animal to get it back that summer of '09. It was the most maddeningly frustrating thing I've ever endured. For over a year, I couldn't say the "s" sound without it coming out "sh", so please forgive me if I come across as a choice of language snob. I think I've earned the right... TWICE! At 54, I had to start over. Not fun.

 

There has to have been some residual damage from listening to a particular podcast

 

My wife suffered a massive stroke as a sixteen year old girl. Laid in a coma for 6 months and was given less than a two percent chance of living' much less speaking. she speaks.
glad you recovered.

 

Yours or This Week in Law from the TWiT network?

 

I'd argue that that's not a good definition of "cleaning", but it is an excellent example of "begging the question". What does "original state" mean?

By this definition, setting a broken arm is "cleaning", but washing off a carrot that you've just pulled out of the ground isn't.

 

As for my own definition, I can't do any better than "removing foreign or undesired material from an item."

 

You ol' entropy excisor, you.

 

jeffB, post: 2777986, member: I'd argue that that's not a good definition of "cleaning", but it is an excellent example of "begging the question". What does "original state" mean?
By this definition, setting a broken arm is "cleaning", but washing off a carrot that you've just pulled out of the ground isn't."


Thanks, you are correct. I forgot to modify my original note!

Cleaning is a chemical or mechanical operation on an item seeking to remove any type of contamination in order to restore it as close as possible to its original state.

Better? Now, if I need to explain what "original" as made (or in the case of the carrot, as grown) means...

More to post later, I'm at a coin show.

 

Closer, but "contamination" is overly specific, I think.

I still don't think "original state" belongs. The carrot was covered with dirt from the very beginning. You clean it because its original state doesn't suit your purpose, or your preference.

 

Nor are the darned things collectable. Or ARE they???

 

I'd appreciate if you'll please help me make it better, I may steal it to use one day to impress my instructor. And...I don't eat dirty carrots. They come pretty nice at the store but I clean them anyway.

 

Taking them even further from their "original condition".

Seriously, I think the "removing foreign material" bit is necessary and sufficient. Getting into intent muddies the water.