# Cylinders -\> discs

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cylinders-discs/197679>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [August 26, 2003, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cylinders-discs/197679 "2003-08-26T03:37:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cylinders-discs/197679/1 "2003-08-26T03:37:17Z")

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[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_256b.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_256b.html)

“You would hire, say, a brass band, which you would surround with a phalanx of recording machines loaded with blank discs…”

Oops !

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**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2003, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cylinders-discs/197679/2 "2003-08-29T00:53:33Z")

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Hey, a disk is a cylinder, so a cylinder can be a disk.

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**Author:** ![cdhostage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@cdhostage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cdhostage)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cylinders-discs/197679/3 "2003-08-30T00:35:43Z")

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Indeed, a disk is but a quite squat cylinder.

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**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cylinders-discs/197679/4 "2003-08-30T00:42:44Z")

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Topologically speaking, cylinder = disk. Cecil always speaks topologically. Chill out, dude.

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**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cylinders-discs/197679/5 "2003-08-30T01:06:08Z")

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Topologically, a donut is a picture frame. Don’t go too far.

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cylinders-discs/197679/6 "2003-08-30T01:13:23Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> 1888 Leisure Hour 209/1 A disc about eleven inches in diameter can, it is said, contain four minutes’ talk.

From the OED.

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**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cylinders-discs/197679/7 "2003-09-02T09:44:15Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by samclem \*  
> \*\*From the OED. \*\*

Yahbut Cecil is talking about cylinders–says so later in the paragraph.