I read recently that the first military radar systems worked better in the field than in the lab. Apparently the electronics needed jiggling now and then and so did better in actual use than in the protected environment of the lab.
What are some other systems that work better in the field than in the lab or systems that work better in practice than in theory?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Greg Wilson 08.12.08 at 08:40
I think you mean “jiggling”, not “giggling”
John 08.12.08 at 10:11
Thanks for spotting the typo. I’m trying to imagine giggling electronics …
Gene Harris 08.12.08 at 18:23
Stable nuclear fusion works in the field (the sun and other stars). As far as I know, we haven’t made it work very well in the lab.
Alex 08.14.08 at 10:58
Cross-validation. The theoretical basis for it is thin, but it performs very well in practice.