Why do they call them laser guns?

[OpenRoad]

Is infra-red light the same thing as laser? I thought not. Laser sounds cooler, but it is my understanding that true laser would emit a tight beam that remains tight all the way to target.

[Motor On]

Laser would be the type of beam of light, Infrared would be the point in the spectrum that beam is.

And they are LIDAR, and it's a huge pet peeve of mine, it's LIDAR not lidar,laser or lazer.

[chriskohtc]

Laser would be the type of beam of light, Infrared would be the point in the spectrum that beam is.

And they are LIDAR, and it's a huge pet peeve of mine, it's LIDAR not lidar,laser or lazer.

Why exactly would you call it "LIDAR" and not lidar? Is it because its an acronym?

[category4]

Laser would be the type of beam of light, Infrared would be the point in the spectrum that beam is.

And they are LIDAR, and it's a huge pet peeve of mine, it's LIDAR not lidar,laser or lazer.

Why exactly would you call it "LIDAR" and not lidar? Is it because its an acronym?

yes

[v1user]

Laser would be the type of beam of light, Infrared would be the point in the spectrum that beam is.

And they are LIDAR, and it's a huge pet peeve of mine, it's LIDAR not lidar,laser or lazer.

Why exactly would you call it "LIDAR" and not lidar? Is it because its an acronym?


Light Detection And Ranging

[Motor On]

All of the above, it's a very minor detail, but it's also the difference between calling a speed trap, with the trap being the time of a to b where your speed is measured vs entrapment; and say you got a ticket in a speed trap on an LEO forum and they'll rant til they're blue about entrapment, when in fact they babbled on about something entirely unrelated. LIDAR is simply the more accurate and more professional term to use, and if you've seen the movie "The Transporter" you'll probably understand that I take a very specific detailed and deliberate approach to speed measurement, tools tactics and countermeasures.

[chriskohtc]

So it should be called "LIDAR" because its an acronym? I'm going to disagree on that.

Counter-examples to that include

-radar (RAdio Detection and Ranging)
-laser (Light Amplified by the Simulated(?) Emission of Radiation)
-sonar (SOund Navigation and Ranging)
-scuba (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus)

All the above words/acronyms started out as acronyms as well, but are nowdays commonly seen as "normal" words... By the same theory, they should be RADAR, LASER, SONAR, and SCUBA too then...

Your thoughts?

Edit: Wow, I'm amazed at the number of acronyms out there! I wonder if there're more.

[OpenRoad]

Ok, so the whole "laser" term is a misnomer...

YouTube - YOU EXPECT ME TO TALK?

[Motor On]

In a professional context, I have only seen laser lower cased, SONAR, SCUBA (or SCBA for firefigters) RADAR and LIDAR all properly used are in caps. And just because it's common, doesn't mean it's grammatically correct either, I've seen lots of people write hazmat instead of HAZMAT too, but its one more you can throw on the list of proper vs common usage, and well like I said I'm very precise about this stuff, and so meeting lazy chat standards isn't my goal (which would be y sole objecting if you're just discussing upper vs. lower case), my goal is to be professional and correct and so I use LIDAR. It's a personal thing, and I really don't expect it to become widespread, esp. when new embers can't even tell what the difference between I/O and Q/T is.

I/O is easier to type than, removed from standby mode, while instant on gets the basic point across, it's not an accurate description of function either. The same as calling a LIDAR gun a laser gun, it carries with it an entirely different set of connotations, and when you're in court convincing a judge a narrow laser beam (characteristically narrow) was wide enough to hit another car when the unit is handheld 2500ft away is an entirely different proposition than explaining that there were erroneous reflections of light returning to the lens.

[chriskohtc]

Interesting! I'll be sure to use LIDAR next time! :)

[CJR238]

Ill just call it the pointy light thing. :)

[OpenRoad]

Ok, so LIDAR transponders, then, swap out "laser" and "jammer".

Here's a bundle of acronyms used in aviation:

VOR = VHF Omni-Range
NDB = Non Directional Beacon
ADF = Automatic Direction Finder
ILS = Instrument Landing System
OBS = Omni Bearing Selector
MOA = Military Operating Area
IFR = Instrument Flight Regulations
ELT = Emergency Locator Transmitter

Your trivia lesson for the day. :D

[The Chariot]

English does not define acronyms as requiring upper case. It is not an issue of common or not, its an issue where there are not hard set rules defined, and it can also be word specific.

scuba is just as correct as s.c.u.b.a., SCUBA and S.C.U.B.A.

Don't take my word for it.... look it up. You'll find many grammatical guides and books agree. And, yes, there are books on the English language which disagree with each other on this issue because they are based on the opinion of the writer and not any hard set rules of English grammar, in large part because acronyms are relatively new to the English language. Also, based on this thread, there seems to be an issue with confusing abbreviations with acronyms.

As to why people use laser instead of lidar, I can only surmise that the average person has an understanding of what a laser is therefore its easier for the manufacturers to use a common word.

[kpatz]

"Laser" and "LIDAR" (or "lidar") are used interchangeably, and everyone knows what a "laser" is anyway, but most common Joes will give a blank stare when you mention "lidar" to them.

As for why it's called "laser", because it really is a laser beam emitted by the gun. It's not focused into a pencil-thin beam like a laser pointer, but it is still a coherent beam created by a laser diode. One property of a laser is that it is coherent, meaning it's mostly one wavelength, while regular light emitters produce a range of wavelengths.

[thx1138]

Sharks with Frickin Laser Beams
YouTube - Austin Powers - Sharks with lasers

[Won Hunglo]

YouTube - Austin Powers: Mini Me "The Laser" (Halo 3)