This is exactly the problem with bad writing. You see, the cricket is studying electricity by using the mirror. And as we all know, very few electrical advances have been made by crickets. They’re pretty good at what they do but they have little grasp of physics or, for that matter, science in general.

I dunno, look how well Pinochio did after Jiminy Cricket took over his management.

But seriously, I think that they were contrasting the size of the mirror with the cricket.

How the mirror is used to study electricity is beyond my humble resources.

firebrand38
Mayhaps the mirrors were used in ultrasensitive galvanometers that used light rather than a needle on a scale.
Laser light shows use mirrors on galvanometers to steer laser beams to form pictures and letters.
The DLP video projectors use the same principle.

jayessel
Lasers in 1947? I’d rather not deal in “mayhaps”. If you have a link to a picture of this light driven galvanometer all for to the good. Like this http://en.wikipedia.org…

After your suggestion I looked for “mirror galvanometer” and found that. Hurrah to both of us!

Thus ends my Blackadder moment for the day.

Firebrand38
Thanks for finding the Wiki for the ‘mirror galvanometer’.
Is this process an example of distributed knowledge where several people know a little about anything?

jayessel
I dunno. I think that we just experienced synergy……

They may say that’s a cricket with a mirror studying electricity, but *I* think it’s just a case of some so-called scientists trying to get a picture of a cricket smoking weed published in a major magazine…

Whay have you come to my planet??