Why do we call it “combination lock”? [closed]
Variation lock seems more accurate by mathematical definitions
Edit(to give it more context)
- Hey, can you tell me the combination of your lockbox ?
Why don't we say variation(or permutation)? The order matters in this case and combination is an unordered set of numbers.
etymology names mathematics
asked Dec 19 '18 at 15:06
Dániel FlachDániel Flach
9016
closed as off-topic by AndyT, jimm101, Lawrence, MetaEd♦ Dec 21 '18 at 23:01
This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:
- "Please include the research you’ve done, or consider if your question suits our English Language Learners site better. Questions that can be answered using commonly-available references are off-topic." – AndyT, jimm101, Lawrence, MetaEd
If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
add a comment |
Variation lock seems more accurate by mathematical definitions
Edit(to give it more context)
- Hey, can you tell me the combination of your lockbox ?
Why don't we say variation(or permutation)? The order matters in this case and combination is an unordered set of numbers.
etymology names mathematics
asked Dec 19 '18 at 15:06
Dániel FlachDániel Flach
9016
closed as off-topic by AndyT, jimm101, Lawrence, MetaEd♦ Dec 21 '18 at 23:01
This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:
- "Please include the research you’ve done, or consider if your question suits our English Language Learners site better. Questions that can be answered using commonly-available references are off-topic." – AndyT, jimm101, Lawrence, MetaEd
If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
add a comment |
Variation lock seems more accurate by mathematical definitions
Edit(to give it more context)
- Hey, can you tell me the combination of your lockbox ?
Why don't we say variation(or permutation)? The order matters in this case and combination is an unordered set of numbers.
etymology names mathematics
asked Dec 19 '18 at 15:06
Dániel FlachDániel Flach
9016
Variation lock seems more accurate by mathematical definitions
Edit(to give it more context)
- Hey, can you tell me the combination of your lockbox ?
Why don't we say variation(or permutation)? The order matters in this case and combination is an unordered set of numbers.
etymology names mathematics
etymology names mathematics
asked Dec 19 '18 at 15:06
Dániel FlachDániel Flach
9016
asked Dec 19 '18 at 15:06
Dániel FlachDániel Flach
9016
edited Dec 19 '18 at 15:28
Dániel Flach
asked Dec 19 '18 at 15:06
Dániel FlachDániel Flach
9016
asked Dec 19 '18 at 15:06
Dániel FlachDániel Flach
9016
asked Dec 19 '18 at 15:06
Dániel FlachDániel Flach
9016
9016
closed as off-topic by AndyT, jimm101, Lawrence, MetaEd♦ Dec 21 '18 at 23:01
This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:
- "Please include the research you’ve done, or consider if your question suits our English Language Learners site better. Questions that can be answered using commonly-available references are off-topic." – AndyT, jimm101, Lawrence, MetaEd
If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
closed as off-topic by AndyT, jimm101, Lawrence, MetaEd♦ Dec 21 '18 at 23:01
This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:
- "Please include the research you’ve done, or consider if your question suits our English Language Learners site better. Questions that can be answered using commonly-available references are off-topic." – AndyT, jimm101, Lawrence, MetaEd
If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
add a comment |
add a comment |
6 Answers
6
active
oldest
votes
Because most people are not mathematicians.
I know that sounds like a flippant answer, but it's genuinely the answer. There are many words which have a more precise (or even different) meaning for specialists, and the fact is that these words simply have both meanings. The question "Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable?" is an all too familiar example: to a botanist, it's a fruit; to most of us, it's a vegetable.
So the fact that mathematicians use "combination" in a more restricted way is irrelevant to almost everybody who uses the locks.
edited Dec 20 '18 at 13:06
Eff
1032
answered Dec 19 '18 at 16:01
Colin FineColin Fine
64.7k175161
14
Knowledge is an awareness that tomatoes are fruits. Wisdom is an awareness that tomatoes don't go in a fruit salad.
– rob
Dec 21 '18 at 5:40
9
Correct and upvoted but for me the main point is that mathematicians took an English word and gave it a special meaning. Similarly, the words "real", "natural", and "rational" have special meanings in mathematics. These words were all pre-existing and were borrowed and given new meanings intentionally. Of course, it still bugs me that people refer to musical "groups" when none of them have an an associative binary operator.
– Hugh Meyers
Dec 21 '18 at 13:05
And is ketchup a smoothie?
– Lenne
Dec 21 '18 at 20:29
@HughMeyers: I remember John Conway giving a talk (in recreational maths) where he described something (can't remember what) as "reducible", abbreviated it to "red", and henceforward wrote it in red pen. He appealed to the audience for a similarly snappy way of referring to "irreducible" whatevers.
– Colin Fine
Jan 3 at 14:39
add a comment |
combination is an unordered set of numbers
That is incorrect in general English.
It is called a combination lock because (in general English)
a combination is "an ordered sequence" (Merriam-Webster definition 2a).
You tagged the question with: etymology, names, and mathematics, but you won't get an answer that combines the three because mathematics/statistics give the term "combination" a specific meaning which is (usually) at odds with the general English use case.
It is however, common enough to be in the dictionary definition referenced above (definition 2c).
edited Dec 21 '18 at 1:26
Sven Yargs
113k19245504
answered Dec 19 '18 at 22:49
J. Chris ComptonJ. Chris Compton
72949
add a comment |
COMBINATION means an arrangement in a particular order that can be used to open some types of lock. Combinations can be hideous or horrible or agreeable.In combination lock we imagine that agreeable situation that unlocks. 'Variations' does not give this idea of agreement of one with the other. An example:
- She had then shot the bolts and turned the knob of the combination as she had seen Mr Adams do.(Jimmy Valentine — by O. Henry)
answered Dec 19 '18 at 16:03
Barid Baran AcharyaBarid Baran Acharya
1,944613
add a comment |
Examples have been found from Roman times and museums have examples circa 1200 when, the Muslim engineer Al-Jazari documented a combination lock.
CC-BY-SA 3.0 Sigismund von Dobschütz
Perhaps the name was popularised since 1909 because it was patented as a physical object, not a mathematical concept.
Thus it's the way that "word combination" locks the usage.
My invention is an improvement in locks and consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.
The object of the invention is to provide a combination padlock, of simple and cheap construction, which will be strong and durable, and not liable to get out of order easily, and in which the combination may be easily changed.
Origin of combination 1350–1400; Middle English combinacyoun (
Middle French ) < Late Latin combīnātiōn- (stem of combīnātiō
)
It is simply the combination of characters that let us pick holes in the term.
edited Dec 22 '18 at 0:28
tjt263
315211
answered Dec 20 '18 at 13:50
KJOKJO
2,884419
add a comment |
Because it is a combination of different dial positions. Since the dials themselves are in a fixed order, this combination automatically implies a permutation.
e.g.
Create a combinition, by picking one (out of ten) ball each from k bins. Now given a fixed order of bins, a permutation already gets decided when the combinition is created.
See the point
answered Dec 21 '18 at 15:20
A RA R
1752
add a comment |
Many cheap combination locks are in-fact combination locks and not permutation locks.
For some the order does matter, but for others the order does not matter.
Both are called combination locks in English. It makes sense that we use one term to describe both.
I'm not certain of the etymology but it's possible the original design required a combination and the increase in security to require a permutation was a later development. In which case it was originally a mathematically accurate term, but became less so when both types were available. Either that or the word was never used here for its precise mathematical definition.
answered Dec 19 '18 at 23:56
Joshua KearnsJoshua Kearns
1031
6
I've never heard of a combination lock where order doesn't matter. Do you have any examples of those?
– Tanner Swett
Dec 20 '18 at 13:55
6
The mechanical push-button locks on doors are often order-insensitive
– CSM
Dec 20 '18 at 15:40
2
@TannerSwett I believe this is an example: gamut.com/p/surface-mount-key-lock-box-NjY3NDMz The number of combinations listed is 1000. If each number from 0 to 9 can be either included or not, that gives 2^10 = 1024 possibilities, which seems to have been rounded to 1000.
– Acccumulation
Dec 20 '18 at 16:56
1
Yes the example I was thinking of was door button locks.
– Joshua Kearns
Dec 20 '18 at 22:08
You mean digital ones? Then the combination is for the keypad, not the lock.
– Mazura
Dec 21 '18 at 18:34
|
show 2 more comments
6 Answers
6
active
oldest
votes
6 Answers
6
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
Because most people are not mathematicians.
I know that sounds like a flippant answer, but it's genuinely the answer. There are many words which have a more precise (or even different) meaning for specialists, and the fact is that these words simply have both meanings. The question "Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable?" is an all too familiar example: to a botanist, it's a fruit; to most of us, it's a vegetable.
So the fact that mathematicians use "combination" in a more restricted way is irrelevant to almost everybody who uses the locks.
edited Dec 20 '18 at 13:06
Eff
1032
answered Dec 19 '18 at 16:01
Colin FineColin Fine
64.7k175161
14
Knowledge is an awareness that tomatoes are fruits. Wisdom is an awareness that tomatoes don't go in a fruit salad.
– rob
Dec 21 '18 at 5:40
9
Correct and upvoted but for me the main point is that mathematicians took an English word and gave it a special meaning. Similarly, the words "real", "natural", and "rational" have special meanings in mathematics. These words were all pre-existing and were borrowed and given new meanings intentionally. Of course, it still bugs me that people refer to musical "groups" when none of them have an an associative binary operator.
– Hugh Meyers
Dec 21 '18 at 13:05
And is ketchup a smoothie?
– Lenne
Dec 21 '18 at 20:29
@HughMeyers: I remember John Conway giving a talk (in recreational maths) where he described something (can't remember what) as "reducible", abbreviated it to "red", and henceforward wrote it in red pen. He appealed to the audience for a similarly snappy way of referring to "irreducible" whatevers.
– Colin Fine
Jan 3 at 14:39
add a comment |
Because most people are not mathematicians.
I know that sounds like a flippant answer, but it's genuinely the answer. There are many words which have a more precise (or even different) meaning for specialists, and the fact is that these words simply have both meanings. The question "Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable?" is an all too familiar example: to a botanist, it's a fruit; to most of us, it's a vegetable.
So the fact that mathematicians use "combination" in a more restricted way is irrelevant to almost everybody who uses the locks.
edited Dec 20 '18 at 13:06
Eff
1032
answered Dec 19 '18 at 16:01
Colin FineColin Fine
64.7k175161
14
Knowledge is an awareness that tomatoes are fruits. Wisdom is an awareness that tomatoes don't go in a fruit salad.
– rob
Dec 21 '18 at 5:40
9
Correct and upvoted but for me the main point is that mathematicians took an English word and gave it a special meaning. Similarly, the words "real", "natural", and "rational" have special meanings in mathematics. These words were all pre-existing and were borrowed and given new meanings intentionally. Of course, it still bugs me that people refer to musical "groups" when none of them have an an associative binary operator.
– Hugh Meyers
Dec 21 '18 at 13:05
And is ketchup a smoothie?
– Lenne
Dec 21 '18 at 20:29
@HughMeyers: I remember John Conway giving a talk (in recreational maths) where he described something (can't remember what) as "reducible", abbreviated it to "red", and henceforward wrote it in red pen. He appealed to the audience for a similarly snappy way of referring to "irreducible" whatevers.
– Colin Fine
Jan 3 at 14:39
add a comment |
Because most people are not mathematicians.
I know that sounds like a flippant answer, but it's genuinely the answer. There are many words which have a more precise (or even different) meaning for specialists, and the fact is that these words simply have both meanings. The question "Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable?" is an all too familiar example: to a botanist, it's a fruit; to most of us, it's a vegetable.
So the fact that mathematicians use "combination" in a more restricted way is irrelevant to almost everybody who uses the locks.
edited Dec 20 '18 at 13:06
Eff
1032
answered Dec 19 '18 at 16:01
Colin FineColin Fine
64.7k175161
Because most people are not mathematicians.
I know that sounds like a flippant answer, but it's genuinely the answer. There are many words which have a more precise (or even different) meaning for specialists, and the fact is that these words simply have both meanings. The question "Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable?" is an all too familiar example: to a botanist, it's a fruit; to most of us, it's a vegetable.
So the fact that mathematicians use "combination" in a more restricted way is irrelevant to almost everybody who uses the locks.
edited Dec 20 '18 at 13:06
Eff
1032
answered Dec 19 '18 at 16:01
Colin FineColin Fine
64.7k175161
edited Dec 20 '18 at 13:06
Eff
1032
edited Dec 20 '18 at 13:06
Eff
1032
edited Dec 20 '18 at 13:06
Eff
1032
1032
answered Dec 19 '18 at 16:01
Colin FineColin Fine
64.7k175161
answered Dec 19 '18 at 16:01
Colin FineColin Fine
64.7k175161
answered Dec 19 '18 at 16:01
Colin FineColin Fine
64.7k175161
64.7k175161
14
Knowledge is an awareness that tomatoes are fruits. Wisdom is an awareness that tomatoes don't go in a fruit salad.
– rob
Dec 21 '18 at 5:40
9
Correct and upvoted but for me the main point is that mathematicians took an English word and gave it a special meaning. Similarly, the words "real", "natural", and "rational" have special meanings in mathematics. These words were all pre-existing and were borrowed and given new meanings intentionally. Of course, it still bugs me that people refer to musical "groups" when none of them have an an associative binary operator.
– Hugh Meyers
Dec 21 '18 at 13:05
And is ketchup a smoothie?
– Lenne
Dec 21 '18 at 20:29
@HughMeyers: I remember John Conway giving a talk (in recreational maths) where he described something (can't remember what) as "reducible", abbreviated it to "red", and henceforward wrote it in red pen. He appealed to the audience for a similarly snappy way of referring to "irreducible" whatevers.
– Colin Fine
Jan 3 at 14:39
add a comment |
14
Knowledge is an awareness that tomatoes are fruits. Wisdom is an awareness that tomatoes don't go in a fruit salad.
– rob
Dec 21 '18 at 5:40
9
Correct and upvoted but for me the main point is that mathematicians took an English word and gave it a special meaning. Similarly, the words "real", "natural", and "rational" have special meanings in mathematics. These words were all pre-existing and were borrowed and given new meanings intentionally. Of course, it still bugs me that people refer to musical "groups" when none of them have an an associative binary operator.
– Hugh Meyers
Dec 21 '18 at 13:05
And is ketchup a smoothie?
– Lenne
Dec 21 '18 at 20:29
@HughMeyers: I remember John Conway giving a talk (in recreational maths) where he described something (can't remember what) as "reducible", abbreviated it to "red", and henceforward wrote it in red pen. He appealed to the audience for a similarly snappy way of referring to "irreducible" whatevers.
– Colin Fine
Jan 3 at 14:39
14
14
Knowledge is an awareness that tomatoes are fruits. Wisdom is an awareness that tomatoes don't go in a fruit salad.
– rob
Dec 21 '18 at 5:40
Knowledge is an awareness that tomatoes are fruits. Wisdom is an awareness that tomatoes don't go in a fruit salad.
– rob
Dec 21 '18 at 5:40
9
9
Correct and upvoted but for me the main point is that mathematicians took an English word and gave it a special meaning. Similarly, the words "real", "natural", and "rational" have special meanings in mathematics. These words were all pre-existing and were borrowed and given new meanings intentionally. Of course, it still bugs me that people refer to musical "groups" when none of them have an an associative binary operator.
– Hugh Meyers
Dec 21 '18 at 13:05
Correct and upvoted but for me the main point is that mathematicians took an English word and gave it a special meaning. Similarly, the words "real", "natural", and "rational" have special meanings in mathematics. These words were all pre-existing and were borrowed and given new meanings intentionally. Of course, it still bugs me that people refer to musical "groups" when none of them have an an associative binary operator.
– Hugh Meyers
Dec 21 '18 at 13:05
And is ketchup a smoothie?
– Lenne
Dec 21 '18 at 20:29
And is ketchup a smoothie?
– Lenne
Dec 21 '18 at 20:29
@HughMeyers: I remember John Conway giving a talk (in recreational maths) where he described something (can't remember what) as "reducible", abbreviated it to "red", and henceforward wrote it in red pen. He appealed to the audience for a similarly snappy way of referring to "irreducible" whatevers.
– Colin Fine
Jan 3 at 14:39
@HughMeyers: I remember John Conway giving a talk (in recreational maths) where he described something (can't remember what) as "reducible", abbreviated it to "red", and henceforward wrote it in red pen. He appealed to the audience for a similarly snappy way of referring to "irreducible" whatevers.
– Colin Fine
Jan 3 at 14:39
add a comment |
combination is an unordered set of numbers
That is incorrect in general English.
It is called a combination lock because (in general English)
a combination is "an ordered sequence" (Merriam-Webster definition 2a).
You tagged the question with: etymology, names, and mathematics, but you won't get an answer that combines the three because mathematics/statistics give the term "combination" a specific meaning which is (usually) at odds with the general English use case.
It is however, common enough to be in the dictionary definition referenced above (definition 2c).
edited Dec 21 '18 at 1:26
Sven Yargs
113k19245504
answered Dec 19 '18 at 22:49
J. Chris ComptonJ. Chris Compton
72949
add a comment |
combination is an unordered set of numbers
That is incorrect in general English.
It is called a combination lock because (in general English)
a combination is "an ordered sequence" (Merriam-Webster definition 2a).
You tagged the question with: etymology, names, and mathematics, but you won't get an answer that combines the three because mathematics/statistics give the term "combination" a specific meaning which is (usually) at odds with the general English use case.
It is however, common enough to be in the dictionary definition referenced above (definition 2c).
edited Dec 21 '18 at 1:26
Sven Yargs
113k19245504
answered Dec 19 '18 at 22:49
J. Chris ComptonJ. Chris Compton
72949
add a comment |
combination is an unordered set of numbers
That is incorrect in general English.
It is called a combination lock because (in general English)
a combination is "an ordered sequence" (Merriam-Webster definition 2a).
You tagged the question with: etymology, names, and mathematics, but you won't get an answer that combines the three because mathematics/statistics give the term "combination" a specific meaning which is (usually) at odds with the general English use case.
It is however, common enough to be in the dictionary definition referenced above (definition 2c).
edited Dec 21 '18 at 1:26
Sven Yargs
113k19245504
answered Dec 19 '18 at 22:49
J. Chris ComptonJ. Chris Compton
72949
combination is an unordered set of numbers
That is incorrect in general English.
It is called a combination lock because (in general English)
a combination is "an ordered sequence" (Merriam-Webster definition 2a).
You tagged the question with: etymology, names, and mathematics, but you won't get an answer that combines the three because mathematics/statistics give the term "combination" a specific meaning which is (usually) at odds with the general English use case.
It is however, common enough to be in the dictionary definition referenced above (definition 2c).
edited Dec 21 '18 at 1:26
Sven Yargs
113k19245504
answered Dec 19 '18 at 22:49
J. Chris ComptonJ. Chris Compton
72949
edited Dec 21 '18 at 1:26
Sven Yargs
113k19245504
edited Dec 21 '18 at 1:26
Sven Yargs
113k19245504
edited Dec 21 '18 at 1:26
Sven Yargs
113k19245504
113k19245504
answered Dec 19 '18 at 22:49
J. Chris ComptonJ. Chris Compton
72949
answered Dec 19 '18 at 22:49
J. Chris ComptonJ. Chris Compton
72949
answered Dec 19 '18 at 22:49
J. Chris ComptonJ. Chris Compton
72949
72949
add a comment |
add a comment |
COMBINATION means an arrangement in a particular order that can be used to open some types of lock. Combinations can be hideous or horrible or agreeable.In combination lock we imagine that agreeable situation that unlocks. 'Variations' does not give this idea of agreement of one with the other. An example:
- She had then shot the bolts and turned the knob of the combination as she had seen Mr Adams do.(Jimmy Valentine — by O. Henry)
answered Dec 19 '18 at 16:03
Barid Baran AcharyaBarid Baran Acharya
1,944613
add a comment |
COMBINATION means an arrangement in a particular order that can be used to open some types of lock. Combinations can be hideous or horrible or agreeable.In combination lock we imagine that agreeable situation that unlocks. 'Variations' does not give this idea of agreement of one with the other. An example:
- She had then shot the bolts and turned the knob of the combination as she had seen Mr Adams do.(Jimmy Valentine — by O. Henry)
answered Dec 19 '18 at 16:03
Barid Baran AcharyaBarid Baran Acharya
1,944613
add a comment |
COMBINATION means an arrangement in a particular order that can be used to open some types of lock. Combinations can be hideous or horrible or agreeable.In combination lock we imagine that agreeable situation that unlocks. 'Variations' does not give this idea of agreement of one with the other. An example:
- She had then shot the bolts and turned the knob of the combination as she had seen Mr Adams do.(Jimmy Valentine — by O. Henry)
answered Dec 19 '18 at 16:03
Barid Baran AcharyaBarid Baran Acharya
1,944613
COMBINATION means an arrangement in a particular order that can be used to open some types of lock. Combinations can be hideous or horrible or agreeable.In combination lock we imagine that agreeable situation that unlocks. 'Variations' does not give this idea of agreement of one with the other. An example:
- She had then shot the bolts and turned the knob of the combination as she had seen Mr Adams do.(Jimmy Valentine — by O. Henry)
answered Dec 19 '18 at 16:03
Barid Baran AcharyaBarid Baran Acharya
1,944613
answered Dec 19 '18 at 16:03
Barid Baran AcharyaBarid Baran Acharya
1,944613
answered Dec 19 '18 at 16:03
Barid Baran AcharyaBarid Baran Acharya
1,944613
answered Dec 19 '18 at 16:03
Barid Baran AcharyaBarid Baran Acharya
1,944613
1,944613
add a comment |
add a comment |
Examples have been found from Roman times and museums have examples circa 1200 when, the Muslim engineer Al-Jazari documented a combination lock.
CC-BY-SA 3.0 Sigismund von Dobschütz
Perhaps the name was popularised since 1909 because it was patented as a physical object, not a mathematical concept.
Thus it's the way that "word combination" locks the usage.
My invention is an improvement in locks and consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.
The object of the invention is to provide a combination padlock, of simple and cheap construction, which will be strong and durable, and not liable to get out of order easily, and in which the combination may be easily changed.
Origin of combination 1350–1400; Middle English combinacyoun (
Middle French ) < Late Latin combīnātiōn- (stem of combīnātiō
)
It is simply the combination of characters that let us pick holes in the term.
edited Dec 22 '18 at 0:28
tjt263
315211
answered Dec 20 '18 at 13:50
KJOKJO
2,884419
add a comment |
Examples have been found from Roman times and museums have examples circa 1200 when, the Muslim engineer Al-Jazari documented a combination lock.
CC-BY-SA 3.0 Sigismund von Dobschütz
Perhaps the name was popularised since 1909 because it was patented as a physical object, not a mathematical concept.
Thus it's the way that "word combination" locks the usage.
My invention is an improvement in locks and consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.
The object of the invention is to provide a combination padlock, of simple and cheap construction, which will be strong and durable, and not liable to get out of order easily, and in which the combination may be easily changed.
Origin of combination 1350–1400; Middle English combinacyoun (
Middle French ) < Late Latin combīnātiōn- (stem of combīnātiō
)
It is simply the combination of characters that let us pick holes in the term.
edited Dec 22 '18 at 0:28
tjt263
315211
answered Dec 20 '18 at 13:50
KJOKJO
2,884419
add a comment |
Examples have been found from Roman times and museums have examples circa 1200 when, the Muslim engineer Al-Jazari documented a combination lock.
CC-BY-SA 3.0 Sigismund von Dobschütz
Perhaps the name was popularised since 1909 because it was patented as a physical object, not a mathematical concept.
Thus it's the way that "word combination" locks the usage.
My invention is an improvement in locks and consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.
The object of the invention is to provide a combination padlock, of simple and cheap construction, which will be strong and durable, and not liable to get out of order easily, and in which the combination may be easily changed.
Origin of combination 1350–1400; Middle English combinacyoun (
Middle French ) < Late Latin combīnātiōn- (stem of combīnātiō
)
It is simply the combination of characters that let us pick holes in the term.
edited Dec 22 '18 at 0:28
tjt263
315211
answered Dec 20 '18 at 13:50
KJOKJO
2,884419
Examples have been found from Roman times and museums have examples circa 1200 when, the Muslim engineer Al-Jazari documented a combination lock.
CC-BY-SA 3.0 Sigismund von Dobschütz
Perhaps the name was popularised since 1909 because it was patented as a physical object, not a mathematical concept.
Thus it's the way that "word combination" locks the usage.
My invention is an improvement in locks and consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.
The object of the invention is to provide a combination padlock, of simple and cheap construction, which will be strong and durable, and not liable to get out of order easily, and in which the combination may be easily changed.
Origin of combination 1350–1400; Middle English combinacyoun (
Middle French ) < Late Latin combīnātiōn- (stem of combīnātiō
)
It is simply the combination of characters that let us pick holes in the term.
edited Dec 22 '18 at 0:28
tjt263
315211
answered Dec 20 '18 at 13:50
KJOKJO
2,884419
edited Dec 22 '18 at 0:28
tjt263
315211
edited Dec 22 '18 at 0:28
tjt263
315211
edited Dec 22 '18 at 0:28
tjt263
315211
315211
answered Dec 20 '18 at 13:50
KJOKJO
2,884419
answered Dec 20 '18 at 13:50
KJOKJO
2,884419
answered Dec 20 '18 at 13:50
KJOKJO
2,884419
2,884419
add a comment |
add a comment |
Because it is a combination of different dial positions. Since the dials themselves are in a fixed order, this combination automatically implies a permutation.
e.g.
Create a combinition, by picking one (out of ten) ball each from k bins. Now given a fixed order of bins, a permutation already gets decided when the combinition is created.
See the point
answered Dec 21 '18 at 15:20
A RA R
1752
add a comment |
Because it is a combination of different dial positions. Since the dials themselves are in a fixed order, this combination automatically implies a permutation.
e.g.
Create a combinition, by picking one (out of ten) ball each from k bins. Now given a fixed order of bins, a permutation already gets decided when the combinition is created.
See the point
answered Dec 21 '18 at 15:20
A RA R
1752
add a comment |
Because it is a combination of different dial positions. Since the dials themselves are in a fixed order, this combination automatically implies a permutation.
e.g.
Create a combinition, by picking one (out of ten) ball each from k bins. Now given a fixed order of bins, a permutation already gets decided when the combinition is created.
See the point
answered Dec 21 '18 at 15:20
A RA R
1752
Because it is a combination of different dial positions. Since the dials themselves are in a fixed order, this combination automatically implies a permutation.
e.g.
Create a combinition, by picking one (out of ten) ball each from k bins. Now given a fixed order of bins, a permutation already gets decided when the combinition is created.
See the point
answered Dec 21 '18 at 15:20
A RA R
1752
answered Dec 21 '18 at 15:20
A RA R
1752
answered Dec 21 '18 at 15:20
A RA R
1752
answered Dec 21 '18 at 15:20
A RA R
1752
1752
add a comment |
add a comment |
Many cheap combination locks are in-fact combination locks and not permutation locks.
For some the order does matter, but for others the order does not matter.
Both are called combination locks in English. It makes sense that we use one term to describe both.
I'm not certain of the etymology but it's possible the original design required a combination and the increase in security to require a permutation was a later development. In which case it was originally a mathematically accurate term, but became less so when both types were available. Either that or the word was never used here for its precise mathematical definition.
answered Dec 19 '18 at 23:56
Joshua KearnsJoshua Kearns
1031
6
I've never heard of a combination lock where order doesn't matter. Do you have any examples of those?
– Tanner Swett
Dec 20 '18 at 13:55
6
The mechanical push-button locks on doors are often order-insensitive
– CSM
Dec 20 '18 at 15:40
2
@TannerSwett I believe this is an example: gamut.com/p/surface-mount-key-lock-box-NjY3NDMz The number of combinations listed is 1000. If each number from 0 to 9 can be either included or not, that gives 2^10 = 1024 possibilities, which seems to have been rounded to 1000.
– Acccumulation
Dec 20 '18 at 16:56
1
Yes the example I was thinking of was door button locks.
– Joshua Kearns
Dec 20 '18 at 22:08
You mean digital ones? Then the combination is for the keypad, not the lock.
– Mazura
Dec 21 '18 at 18:34
|
show 2 more comments
Many cheap combination locks are in-fact combination locks and not permutation locks.
For some the order does matter, but for others the order does not matter.
Both are called combination locks in English. It makes sense that we use one term to describe both.
I'm not certain of the etymology but it's possible the original design required a combination and the increase in security to require a permutation was a later development. In which case it was originally a mathematically accurate term, but became less so when both types were available. Either that or the word was never used here for its precise mathematical definition.
answered Dec 19 '18 at 23:56
Joshua KearnsJoshua Kearns
1031
6
I've never heard of a combination lock where order doesn't matter. Do you have any examples of those?
– Tanner Swett
Dec 20 '18 at 13:55
6
The mechanical push-button locks on doors are often order-insensitive
– CSM
Dec 20 '18 at 15:40
2
@TannerSwett I believe this is an example: gamut.com/p/surface-mount-key-lock-box-NjY3NDMz The number of combinations listed is 1000. If each number from 0 to 9 can be either included or not, that gives 2^10 = 1024 possibilities, which seems to have been rounded to 1000.
– Acccumulation
Dec 20 '18 at 16:56
1
Yes the example I was thinking of was door button locks.
– Joshua Kearns
Dec 20 '18 at 22:08
You mean digital ones? Then the combination is for the keypad, not the lock.
– Mazura
Dec 21 '18 at 18:34
|
show 2 more comments
Many cheap combination locks are in-fact combination locks and not permutation locks.
For some the order does matter, but for others the order does not matter.
Both are called combination locks in English. It makes sense that we use one term to describe both.
I'm not certain of the etymology but it's possible the original design required a combination and the increase in security to require a permutation was a later development. In which case it was originally a mathematically accurate term, but became less so when both types were available. Either that or the word was never used here for its precise mathematical definition.
answered Dec 19 '18 at 23:56
Joshua KearnsJoshua Kearns
1031
Many cheap combination locks are in-fact combination locks and not permutation locks.
For some the order does matter, but for others the order does not matter.
Both are called combination locks in English. It makes sense that we use one term to describe both.
I'm not certain of the etymology but it's possible the original design required a combination and the increase in security to require a permutation was a later development. In which case it was originally a mathematically accurate term, but became less so when both types were available. Either that or the word was never used here for its precise mathematical definition.
answered Dec 19 '18 at 23:56
Joshua KearnsJoshua Kearns
1031
answered Dec 19 '18 at 23:56
Joshua KearnsJoshua Kearns
1031
answered Dec 19 '18 at 23:56
Joshua KearnsJoshua Kearns
1031
answered Dec 19 '18 at 23:56
Joshua KearnsJoshua Kearns
1031
1031
6
I've never heard of a combination lock where order doesn't matter. Do you have any examples of those?
– Tanner Swett
Dec 20 '18 at 13:55
6
The mechanical push-button locks on doors are often order-insensitive
– CSM
Dec 20 '18 at 15:40
2
@TannerSwett I believe this is an example: gamut.com/p/surface-mount-key-lock-box-NjY3NDMz The number of combinations listed is 1000. If each number from 0 to 9 can be either included or not, that gives 2^10 = 1024 possibilities, which seems to have been rounded to 1000.
– Acccumulation
Dec 20 '18 at 16:56
1
Yes the example I was thinking of was door button locks.
– Joshua Kearns
Dec 20 '18 at 22:08
You mean digital ones? Then the combination is for the keypad, not the lock.
– Mazura
Dec 21 '18 at 18:34
|
show 2 more comments
6
I've never heard of a combination lock where order doesn't matter. Do you have any examples of those?
– Tanner Swett
Dec 20 '18 at 13:55
6
The mechanical push-button locks on doors are often order-insensitive
– CSM
Dec 20 '18 at 15:40
2
@TannerSwett I believe this is an example: gamut.com/p/surface-mount-key-lock-box-NjY3NDMz The number of combinations listed is 1000. If each number from 0 to 9 can be either included or not, that gives 2^10 = 1024 possibilities, which seems to have been rounded to 1000.
– Acccumulation
Dec 20 '18 at 16:56
1
Yes the example I was thinking of was door button locks.
– Joshua Kearns
Dec 20 '18 at 22:08
You mean digital ones? Then the combination is for the keypad, not the lock.
– Mazura
Dec 21 '18 at 18:34
6
6
I've never heard of a combination lock where order doesn't matter. Do you have any examples of those?
– Tanner Swett
Dec 20 '18 at 13:55
I've never heard of a combination lock where order doesn't matter. Do you have any examples of those?
– Tanner Swett
Dec 20 '18 at 13:55
6
6
The mechanical push-button locks on doors are often order-insensitive
– CSM
Dec 20 '18 at 15:40
The mechanical push-button locks on doors are often order-insensitive
– CSM
Dec 20 '18 at 15:40
2
2
@TannerSwett I believe this is an example: gamut.com/p/surface-mount-key-lock-box-NjY3NDMz The number of combinations listed is 1000. If each number from 0 to 9 can be either included or not, that gives 2^10 = 1024 possibilities, which seems to have been rounded to 1000.
– Acccumulation
Dec 20 '18 at 16:56
@TannerSwett I believe this is an example: gamut.com/p/surface-mount-key-lock-box-NjY3NDMz The number of combinations listed is 1000. If each number from 0 to 9 can be either included or not, that gives 2^10 = 1024 possibilities, which seems to have been rounded to 1000.
– Acccumulation
Dec 20 '18 at 16:56
1
1
Yes the example I was thinking of was door button locks.
– Joshua Kearns
Dec 20 '18 at 22:08
Yes the example I was thinking of was door button locks.
– Joshua Kearns
Dec 20 '18 at 22:08
You mean digital ones? Then the combination is for the keypad, not the lock.
– Mazura
Dec 21 '18 at 18:34
You mean digital ones? Then the combination is for the keypad, not the lock.
– Mazura
Dec 21 '18 at 18:34
|
show 2 more comments
