Bus

English translation: Bus is correct

19:27 Sep 15, 2008
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Computers (general)
English term or phrase: Bus
BUS: A parallel circuit that connects the major components of a computer, allowing the transfer of electric impulses from one connected component to any other.

is the word bus a loan word, a borrowing? Can you think of any other example of borrowings in computing science? many thanks.
Lakasa Stnorden
Local time: 03:24
Selected answer:Bus is correct
Explanation:
Definition:
Bus = A parallel circuit (generally will be 32 bits wide in our computers) that connects the major components of a computer, allowing the transfer of electric impulses from one connected component to any other. You can think of a computer bus as being an interstate highway with 32 lanes. In each lane is a car carrying one bit. All cars carry their bits down the bus to their destination, which will be a register, where all the bits are deposited and then the bus brings another group of 32 bits to their destination.
Selected response from:

Demi Ebrite
United States
Local time: 01:24
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +2Bus is correct
Demi Ebrite
3 +2from "omnibus" (Latin)
Jack Doughty
3probably derived from an electrical bus
Ken Cox
Summary of reference entries provided
Egil Presttun
Gary D

Discussion entries: 6





  

Answers


10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
bus
from "omnibus" (Latin)


Explanation:
Not sure if this is what you want, it doesn't explain how the word came to be used for this purpose, but:
Etymology
Contraction of omnibus.. From Latin omnibus (“‘for everything/all’”); dative plural of omnis (“‘all’”).
Noun
bus (plural buses or busses)
An electrical conductor serving as a common connection for two or more circuits.

There are all sort of weird terms used in computing which may be borrowed from all sorts of places. (I wonder where the word "geek" comes from? But I'm not bothered enough about it to ask it as a KudoZ question).

Jack Doughty
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:24
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 24

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sheila Wilson: There are loads of words in IT that have odd histories (mouse, spam, ...) // Of course you're right on both counts, but not a very scientific past for either of them
13 mins
  -> Thank you. I know where spam comes from (Monty Python's Flying Circus), but I thought mouse was simply because it looked like one, with the lead as its tail. (Or does it have another tale?)

agree  Arnold T.: Oui : GDT / électricité : bus bar = barre omnibus n. f. abrégé à bus.
48 mins
  -> Merci.
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26 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
bus
Bus is correct


Explanation:
Definition:
Bus = A parallel circuit (generally will be 32 bits wide in our computers) that connects the major components of a computer, allowing the transfer of electric impulses from one connected component to any other. You can think of a computer bus as being an interstate highway with 32 lanes. In each lane is a car carrying one bit. All cars carry their bits down the bus to their destination, which will be a register, where all the bits are deposited and then the bus brings another group of 32 bits to their destination.


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Demi Ebrite
United States
Local time: 01:24
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jack Doughty: But it would be better to describe the vehicles in the highway lanes carrying their bits as buses.
3 mins
  -> Thank you, Jack - this is actually quite hysterical, isn't it?! It's from a kid's guide to understanding computing terms . . . apologies, Jack, all!

agree  Gary D: A bus line in a pc as well as any electrical curcuit, think of a bus on a journy, it picks up information from multiple stops and distrubites them to other stops. the curcuit does exactly the same. Information goes along it and off it at different points
6 hrs
  -> Thank you, Gary
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35 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
bus
probably derived from an electrical bus


Explanation:
An electrical bus is a set of parallel conductors used to distribute electricity (the individual conductors usually being called busbars).

This is probably derived from 'ominibus', but perhaps in the sense of 'serving a common group of loads' rather than the sense of transport,

Ken Cox
Local time: 07:24
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tony M: Yes, although i don't actually think it's anything to do with 'omnibus'; I've always understood it came from buss or buzz bars, the etymology of which I've never seen explained...
1 hr
  -> Thanks -- I'd forgotten that spelling. When I was young the most common brand of fuses in the US was Buss, so it could even have originated as a personal or brand name.

disagree  Gary D: bus bar is different, it is used in the case of resistence or multi line connecting. sorry more related to series connections.
6 hrs
  -> I disagree with you. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busbar or en.wiktionary.org/wiki/busbar and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_bus
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Reference comments


1 hr peer agreement (net): +2
Reference

Reference information:
There are so many loan words.... You mentioned 'virus', and that made me think of another brilliant example, the 'Trojan horse'. If you want to see where that word origins from, I can recommend you the great movie Troy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_(film)

'Firewall' is another example. In Windows, there are many such words, like for instance 'recycle bin' or 'wallpaper'.


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Note added at 1 hr (2008-09-15 20:40:50 GMT)
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The link above leads to the wrong place unless you copy the whole URL, including (film), and paste it into the address field of your browser.

Egil Presttun
Norway
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Norwegian
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  Demi Ebrite: Egil saves the day!
3 mins
  -> Thanks! Did you know that if you have a DVD writer, you can save incredible much information? You can save everything! You can save the world!
agree  Phong Le
3 hrs
  -> Thanks!
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13 hrs
Reference

Reference information:
How Busbars work. you will note that they work in series and NOT in Parallel.

this is why a bus circuit is different to a busbar. You have to actually place Bus bars in parallel for them to run a parallel circuit. But off each busbar the circuits run in series, Ie if the main feed breaks the circuit, they all have a broken circuit. Parallel circuits run beside each other. the best bus circuit is a fiber optic cable, if you break a strand, there are 10,000+ more that still work.

If you wish me to explain it further I can.

An electrical connector housing or junction box is provided that forms internal circuits in a simplified way. The electrical connector housing includes at least one case which is to receive a plurality of circuit blocks, or layers, each of which includes at least one X-directional bus bar layer and at least one Y-directional bus bar layer superposed thereon. The X-directional and Y-directional bus bar layers contain strip-shaped bus bars laminated with insulated film. The strip-shaped bus bars are arranged in parallel at a given interval, respectively in an X direction and in a Y direction perpendicular thereto. The plurality of circuit blocks or layers are then superposed on one another with insulator plates interposed there between, such that the bus bars arranged in the X and Y directions form cross points. The cross points are electrically connected to circuits at desired cross points, for example by rivets or pins, so as to form branched circuits. The bus bars in the X and Y directions have folded end portions to form tabs for connection to external circuitry. A power block, current block and splice block may be included or may be individually replaced.

Gary D
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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