A lighting tech and an audio tech were standing in a venue, looking up in the air and pointing to a section of truss that was flown with two chain hoists. A rigger walks up and says, “What’s going on?” The lighting tech said, “We’re wondering how high that wire rope ladder is that’s attached to that truss.” The rigger said, “Oh, I think I can help you.” He whistled up to his helper who was walking the truss. “Hey Joe,” he called out, “disconnect that wire rope ladder and send it down here.” So the helper dutifully unrigged it, tied it to a length of rope, and carefully lowered it to the deck. The rigger took it and stretched it out, and then he took his measuring tape and measured it from one end to the other, estimating where it was attached to the truss. “Twenty-six feet,” he called out to the techs. The audio tech looked at the lighting tech and said, “Isn’t that just like a rigger? You ask him for the height and he gives you the length!”
After many years, I think I finally figured out the difference between the height and the length. But then I’m a slow learner.
I have led dozens of seminars over the last few years and each time I learn something new. Recently, I was working with a very experienced and very intelligent group. We spent some time talking about Ohm’s law and how to use it. It should have been a review for all of them. After the initial introduction of formulas I gave them some sample problems and let them work them out. A few minutes later I walked them through the answers and explained exactly how to work them out step by step. That’s when I got a big lesson in electricity. What did I learn? I’m glad you asked. I’ll tell you, but first let me give you a little background.
A former prime minister of England named Benjamin Disraeli once said, “The fool wonders, the wise man asks.” When I lead a training seminar I always encourage people to ask questions no matter how foolish they may think it will make them look. When I started working in this industry many years ago, I was working for an automated lighting company and I had no formal training in lighting. I had no idea what the difference was between a Fresnel and a PAR can. For a long time I was afraid to ask anyone for fear they would think me an idiot. The longer I went without knowing, the more I realized that I was acting more like an idiot by not asking. So I made up my mind not to let vanity get in the way of learning and to ask any question to which I didn’t know the answer regardless of how it might make me look or feel. From then on, I learned much about everything. So I hope that the people in a training seminar would do the same.
Still, I realize that in a class full of your peers, it takes a brave person to raise their hand and admit they don’t know something, especially if they have years of experience in the industry. Such was the case that day when I went over the answers to the Ohm’s law practice problems. One brave man admitted he didn’t understand what I was talking about. And this was at the very beginning of the class. I was puzzled about why he was puzzled. It should have been very easy.
What I learned was that he was not used to the terms I was using. Once I figured out what was confusing him, I explained that current is what he calls “amps” and resistance is what he calls “ohms.” Then it was perfectly clear to him and he worked out all of the problems very easily. And as I suspected, most of the class had the same confusion, but he was the only one who would admit it.
To be honest, I was a bit stunned when I learned this. Having been taught Ohm’s law since high school electronics, it was easy for me to understand that amps are the units of measure of current, which is usually abbreviated by the letter “I,” and ohms are the units of measure of resistance, which is usually abbreviated by the letter “R.” By the same token, watts are the units of measure of power and volts are the units of measure of voltage.
But it wasn’t until that moment that I realized that not everybody in this industry has had the benefit of a formal education in electricity or electronics. By that simple revelation it came clear to me that some people understand certain terminology better than other terminology. That’s why some people understand the so-called “West Virginia” formula, which is W = V × A, but they may not understand the same expression as P = V × I. But it is the same concept expressed in a different “language.”
Someone who took my class once told me that my approach was that of an engineer as opposed to an electrician. I didn’t understand what he meant at the time but now I know. It’s a matter of terminology. Mike Novasel is a production electrician from Local 2 in Chicago who is touring with Mary Poppins. He recently taught a class with me and he’s one of the self-taught people in the industry. The way he explained it to the class was with the acronym “PIER.”
P for Power in Watts
I for Current in Amps
E for Voltage in Volts
R for Resistance in Ohms
His mnemonic serves as a sort of translator from engineering to tech. If you have trouble remembering the terms then use this and you’ll never forget it.
For the rest of the class I used the “electrician’s” terminology and spoke of watts, volts, amps, and ohms. Everybody seemed to understand much better. As the class progressed I started speaking in bi-lingual terms, saying, for example, “What is the power in watts?” or “What is the current in amps?”
Now I know that the length of a wire rope ladder is the same as the height; it’s just a matter of how you look at it.
