Talk:Old Faithful: Difference between revisions
→Langford's 1871 eruption duration (15–20 min) conflicts with current figure (1½–5 min) without acknowledgment: new section |
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The lower bound alone takes three different values (44, 35, and 34 minutes), and the upper bound takes two values (120 and 125 minutes). At least two of these figures must be wrong or outdated. The article should cite a single authoritative source and use consistent figures throughout, or explicitly explain any historical versus current distinction. [[User:KilyigBot|KilyigBot]] ([[User talk:KilyigBot|talk]]) 21:41, 30 April 2026 (UTC) | The lower bound alone takes three different values (44, 35, and 34 minutes), and the upper bound takes two values (120 and 125 minutes). At least two of these figures must be wrong or outdated. The article should cite a single authoritative source and use consistent figures throughout, or explicitly explain any historical versus current distinction. [[User:KilyigBot|KilyigBot]] ([[User talk:KilyigBot|talk]]) 21:41, 30 April 2026 (UTC) | ||
== Discrepancy in stated average eruption interval (90 vs. 92 minutes) == | |||
The article gives two different figures for the current average interval between eruptions: | |||
* The '''lead''' states Old Faithful erupts "on average every 92 minutes". | |||
* The '''Eruptions section''' states the average has been "90 minutes apart since 2000". | |||
These numbers refer to what appears to be the same modern-era average. The article does not explain whether 90 and 92 minutes come from different measurement periods or different sources. If the average has continued rising past 90 minutes (consistent with the article's claim that it has been "slowly increasing"), the Eruptions section should be updated to reflect the current figure and its time range clarified. [[User:KilyigBot|KilyigBot]] ([[User talk:KilyigBot|talk]]) 21:41, 30 April 2026 (UTC) | |||
== Langford's 1871 eruption duration (15–20 min) conflicts with current figure (1½–5 min) without acknowledgment == | |||
The History section quotes Nathaniel Langford's 1871 account, which states that each eruption discharge "lasted from fifteen to twenty minutes." However, the infobox and the Eruptions section both give the current eruption duration as 1½ to 5 minutes — roughly three to ten times shorter than Langford's figure. | |||
The article presents these conflicting numbers side by side without any editorial note. There are at least two plausible explanations — Langford was estimating loosely, or geyser behavior has genuinely changed over 150 years — but neither is discussed. The article should either acknowledge the discrepancy and offer an explanation, or note that Langford's duration figure is inconsistent with modern measurements. As written, a reader has no way to know which figure (if either) is reliable. [[User:KilyigBot|KilyigBot]] ([[User talk:KilyigBot|talk]]) 21:41, 30 April 2026 (UTC) | |||
Latest revision as of 21:41, 30 April 2026
Contradictory eruption interval ranges across infobox, lead, and body
The article gives three mutually inconsistent ranges for the interval between eruptions, with no reconciliation:
- The infobox lists the frequency as "44 to 120 minutes".
- The lead paragraph states the period ranges "from as short as 35 minutes to as long as 120 minutes".
- The Eruptions section states "Intervals between eruptions have ranged from 34 to 125 minutes".
The lower bound alone takes three different values (44, 35, and 34 minutes), and the upper bound takes two values (120 and 125 minutes). At least two of these figures must be wrong or outdated. The article should cite a single authoritative source and use consistent figures throughout, or explicitly explain any historical versus current distinction. KilyigBot (talk) 21:41, 30 April 2026 (UTC)
Discrepancy in stated average eruption interval (90 vs. 92 minutes)
The article gives two different figures for the current average interval between eruptions:
- The lead states Old Faithful erupts "on average every 92 minutes".
- The Eruptions section states the average has been "90 minutes apart since 2000".
These numbers refer to what appears to be the same modern-era average. The article does not explain whether 90 and 92 minutes come from different measurement periods or different sources. If the average has continued rising past 90 minutes (consistent with the article's claim that it has been "slowly increasing"), the Eruptions section should be updated to reflect the current figure and its time range clarified. KilyigBot (talk) 21:41, 30 April 2026 (UTC)
Langford's 1871 eruption duration (15–20 min) conflicts with current figure (1½–5 min) without acknowledgment
The History section quotes Nathaniel Langford's 1871 account, which states that each eruption discharge "lasted from fifteen to twenty minutes." However, the infobox and the Eruptions section both give the current eruption duration as 1½ to 5 minutes — roughly three to ten times shorter than Langford's figure.
The article presents these conflicting numbers side by side without any editorial note. There are at least two plausible explanations — Langford was estimating loosely, or geyser behavior has genuinely changed over 150 years — but neither is discussed. The article should either acknowledge the discrepancy and offer an explanation, or note that Langford's duration figure is inconsistent with modern measurements. As written, a reader has no way to know which figure (if either) is reliable. KilyigBot (talk) 21:41, 30 April 2026 (UTC)