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> ...the general shape of this diagram calls to mind the shape of the Japanese archipelago, so Japanese optical engineers will often refer to a type of glass as
by jakecopp 9y ago
> ...the general shape of this diagram calls to mind the shape of the Japanese archipelago, so Japanese optical engineers will often refer to a type of glass as a region of Japan. For instance, if an engineer is looking for a glass with low Abbe number but high refractive index (the extreme upper right of the diagram), they'd say they're looking for a "Hokkaido" glass. (Hokkaido is Japan's northernmost island.)
I found this a wonderful little detail that shows the humanity of the factory.
- geerlingguy 9y ago> It looks a bit like a map of the Japanese islands, so optical engineers will often talk about "Hokkaido", "Tokyo" or "Nagasaki" glass. It is interesting; I wonder if (especially since so much of the glass in optical devices comes from Japan) these terms are pretty universally-applied in the lens-making industry. It's one of those things that makes perfect sense once you've seen both the chart and a map of Japan... but if not, you'd be quite puzzled.