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From: jwl@ucbvax.ARPA (James Wilbur Lewis)
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Fencing, anyone?
Message-ID: <5617@ucbvax.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 19-Mar-85 20:46:39 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.5617
Posted: Tue Mar 19 20:46:39 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 20-Mar-85 06:38:28 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: University of California at Berkeley
Lines: 27

This came up yesterday in a fencing class that I'm taking...it started a
fairly interesting discussion and maybe someone out there can help us
answer this question:

Sometimes it's necessary to bend the blade of a foil back to its proper
shape.  Our instructor said the best way to do this is by stepping on the
blade, then bending the blade and drawing it rapidly between your
shoe and the floor several times. (Kind of hard to explain without pictures,
sorry about that!)  She said the reason for doing it this way is to
warm up the blade so that it doesn't break.  

The question: is the temperature change large enough to have this effect on
a steel blade?  It does get quite warm, but certainly the change is on the
order of tens of degrees.  

If the temperature change is insignificant, then why bend the blade this
particular way? (Apparently just about everyone learns this technique;
there must be *some* advantage!)

so how about it, net.physicists?  I, and the rest of the class, anxiously
await your responses!

-- Jim Lewis
   U.C. Berkeley
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