ruttlin results

[Jean-Joseph Cote]

>  ruttlin - n. - finely stranded polyester or nylon used to provide 
tensile strength in cables
>  that use very light-gauge copper conductor wires

>  JEAN-JOSEPH - 0

>  Fran - “The definition I wish I had written: (except I wouldn't say 
‘copper conductor wires’
>  because it is redundant.)”

>  Nick - “Nylon (~45 MPa) is weaker than pure copper wire (~75 MPa). If 
you had said spider
>  silk or carbon nanotubes or something, I might believe it. I would 
hope that, in general, you
>  aren't using thin conducting wires to pull/hold up anything.”


I assume that tensile strength is why they put that fibrous stuff in 
there. Copper may be stronger, but it's also much more expensive, so in 
telephone cords, for example, they use the thinnest metal they can get 
away with, like tinsel. The insulation can't provide tensile strength 
without being too stiff, I suppose, so there's some kind of floss in 
there, which really gets in the way if for some reason you have to try 
to solder to the wire.


Jean-Joseph