Thread: Over stropping

Originally Posted by maddafinga

I forget that one. Something about scarlet letters?

1st you thought it was about Mohicans, now scarlet letters...

Maybe 'desired' or 'adequate' or 'correct' result would be a better term? I can't see how one could overstrop if one maintained proper form throughout, within reason. It might be a waste of time, and I guess if you did ten million million billion laps there'd be some issues...

Originally Posted by Jimbo

A recent study showed precisely this behaviour. A randomly selected sample of 2500 straight razors were made shave-ready. Each was then shaved with over a period of 3 days under strict laboratory conditions. The razors were then sent to a specially developed stropping laboratory where they were stropped by a purpose-built stropping robot under identical conditions for 200 laps each. During stropping the edge was monitored for shave readiness. The results of the study are best summed up in the following graph taken from Jimbo et al, 2012:

Attachment 110405

It can be clearly seen that approximately 98% shave-readiness is achieved at 60 stropping laps, on average (figures available upon request from corresponding author). Furthermore, increases in shave-readiness are marginal above 60 laps.

The authors conclude that one may strop past the 60 lap mark but that doing so has limited potential to yield a better edge in terms of shave-readiness (p-value < 0.00001).

Reference: Jimbo, G.T., Normous, D. and Biggun, I. V. A. (2012) Interaction Dynamics of High Carbon Steel with Applications to Fast-Stropping Machines in Hilbert Space: Hell Bent on Leather. Neuture, 69, 221--237.

James.

*raises hand* Sir, are we going to be tested on this?

Originally Posted by mapleleafalumnus

1st you thought it was about Mohicans, now scarlet letters...

I trusted my memory initially, then had to double check myself.

Hoped nobody noticed....

Originally Posted by mapleleafalumnus

Re: "shifting the origin", how are you accounting for Heisenberg's principle of uncertainty?

It has everything to do with the fractal dimension of the razor and its compatibility to the analogous dimension for the strop. If they are congruent, other matters reduce to null as the order can shift freely and never impact the outcome.

Originally Posted by unit

It has everything to do with the fractal dimension of the razor and its compatibility to the analogous dimension for the strop. If they are congruent, other matters reduce to null as the order can shift freely and never impact the outcome.

However, the simple act of observing affects the behaviour under study.

Originally Posted by maddafinga

I trusted my memory initially, then had to double check myself.

Hoped nobody noticed....

Don't sweat it, buddy. The Hawthorne effect deals with the phenomena of research participants altering their behaviour when they are made aware that they are under observation.

If a razor is stropped in the forest, and nobody is there to hear it, will it still be shave ready?

Originally Posted by mapleleafalumnus

However, the simple act of observing affects the behaviour under study.

That's why I always check myself out in the mirror while stropping...

I still say it was the increase in lighting.