# Engineering for different countries / cultures - examples **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 19, 2022, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineering-for-different-countries-cultures-examples/964653 "2022-05-19T00:24:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineering-for-different-countries-cultures-examples/964653/81 "2022-05-23T02:47:58Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > Are they doing PSAs in areas where a lot of roundabouts are being built? I see a lot in Scottsdale (AZ) but no instructions in how they work. When I learned to drive roundabouts did not exist so I never learned about them. Over the past 10-15 years, the road departments have installed a _ton_ of roundabouts in northeastern Wisconsin, including in Green Bay, where I grew up (and where I still visit regularly); prior to then, roundabouts were essentially non-existent there. A lot of intersections which were four-way stops, or low-volume stoplights, are now roundabouts; many highway entrance/exits now also contain roundabouts. If there was a PSA program to help drivers learn how to use them, it clearly wasn’t enough – every time I go up there, I see people who either don’t understand how to use them (i.e., always yield to traffic that’s already in the roundabout, never stop in the roundabout unless you have no choice, etc.), or just don’t care, and blow through them without caring about yielding. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineering-for-different-countries-cultures-examples/964653/82 "2022-05-23T02:49:12Z")
Friend, given how downright nasty so many public squat toilets are here, I would definitely shy away from using any standing water provided for cleaning my hands or tush. And, yes, I live in China and I carry my own wet wipes, soap, and water bottle just in case I need to avail myself of the public loo. Forgot to mention, many if not most public toilets here do not have a supply of toilet paper. It’s BYOTP. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineering-for-different-countries-cultures-examples/964653/83 "2022-05-23T10:02:08Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > so, geartrain is optimized to get the lowest consumption for 90 and 120km/h which are measuring points in europe … the measuring points might be different in the usa (where 120km/h is already speeding) hence mandating a different gear ratio of 'merica models. The US EPA doesn’t use single-speed measuring points to assess fuel economy. Click on the tabs at this link to see the various tests that get used: > **[Detailed Test Information](https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fe_test_schedules.shtml)** > > EPA tests vehicles by running them through a series of driving routines, or schedules, that specify vehicle speed for each point in time during the laboratory tests. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineering-for-different-countries-cultures-examples/964653/84 "2022-05-23T10:05:02Z")
One of the little things that people probably don’t think about much, but electrical switches work the other way around in Australia, NZ and the UK to the way they do in the UK - up is “off”, down is “on”. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineering-for-different-countries-cultures-examples/964653/85 "2022-05-23T12:48:48Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > Do you happen to have a reference for this? I don’t remember seeing this and am wondering if this is something that is no longer done due to market globalization. Sorry, THOUGHT I had a reference, from Henry Petroski’s book _The Evolution of Useful Things_, but now I can’t find any statement like this. I will have to withdraw my claim that in Europe, forks have their decorations on the back side. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineering-for-different-countries-cultures-examples/964653/86 "2022-05-23T14:12:21Z")
An indirect reference to decorations on the back side of the fork in France from [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eating_utensil_etiquette): > The French style involves placing the forks tines pointing down on the table on the left hand side. This was done to show the coat of arms that was traditionally on that side contrary to Germany or the United-Kingdom. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineering-for-different-countries-cultures-examples/964653/87 "2022-05-23T14:59:59Z")
Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineering-for-different-countries-cultures-examples/964653/88 "2022-05-23T17:38:56Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > One of the little things that people probably don’t think about much, but electrical switches work the other way around in Australia, NZ and the UK to the way they do in the UK - up is “off”, down is “on”. I think you mean US instead of that second UK. Another thing, at least in NZ, is which side the cold control (knob or whatever) is on faucets. In the US, the cold is standardized to be on the right. NZ doesn’t have a standard, so it could be on either left or right. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2022, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineering-for-different-countries-cultures-examples/964653/89 "2022-05-24T03:16:53Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > In the US, the cold is standardized to be on the right. That makes sense, even if one is not using a separate tap for each water temperature. In the US the two water lines usually combine into a single-handle tap. Lift and turn to the right, you get cold, and to the left, hot. Right in the middle is warm. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2022, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineering-for-different-countries-cultures-examples/964653/90 "2022-05-24T11:51:25Z")
> [@Limmin](#): > > Lift and turn to the right, you get cold, and to the left, hot. Would that this were an international standard. Hotels commonly have these taps on sinks and baths and as controls on showers. It seems to be entirely random which way they are installed. In a recent hotel the sink went one way and the shower the other. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2022, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineering-for-different-countries-cultures-examples/964653/91 "2022-05-24T12:54:41Z")
Yes, Hotels? They seem to go out of their way to install shower controls that defy logic or are inscrutable at first glance. I turn on - wait for some steam - go other direction if still cold - then settle into some reasonable compromise. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2022, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineering-for-different-countries-cultures-examples/964653/92 "2022-05-24T13:30:40Z")
There’s an even older reason for cold-water taps to be on the right - it was not uncommon in old construction for a washbasin to be plumbed for ONLY cold water. So the single faucet handle was placed on the right side because the majority of people are right-handed. When hot water washbasins became common, the hot tap was placed on the remaining (left) side. Old story: A bilingual hotel in Quebec has taps labelled “C” and “C”. The one is C for Cold, the other is C for Chaud. ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2022, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineering-for-different-countries-cultures-examples/964653/93 "2022-05-24T13:45:19Z")
Toilets in the US (at least) sit on a standardized flange on the floor and use a sacrificial wax ring to make a seal. It works, but it’s not the best system (IMO). In NZ the toilets use a rubber flange to seal against the outflow pipe, a much better system (the hardware clerk was very confused when I asked about a wax ring). BUT–it’s not standardized! Each toilet and each house is distinct! I burned a lot of gas going to the hardware store trying to install one toilet. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2022, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineering-for-different-countries-cultures-examples/964653/94 "2022-05-24T16:43:54Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > The early MiGs were built to be operated out of dirt strips, and serviced by conscripts. So they were made very simple, and very tough. That was true of the Soviet Union’s civil airliners as well. Particularly the smaller planes like the Yak-40 were designed to operate out of unpaved airfields. And their first widebody, the Il-86, was designed to operate out of airports without any jet bridges, airstairs, or bag belts. Passengers could board via a set of built in stairs that led to the cargo hold, stow their own luggage, and climb another interior stairway up to the cabin. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2022, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineering-for-different-countries-cultures-examples/964653/95 "2022-05-24T17:16:00Z")
> [@Tride](#): > > In NZ the toilets use a rubber flange to seal against the outflow pipe, a much better system There are versions of this for U.S. plumbing as well, and they’re as standardized as the wax ring, but are inexplicably unpopular. I’ve never seen a professional plumber use one in preference to a wax ring. Examples (random picks from Google, no endorsement implied): > **[Wax Free Toilet Seal | Fernco - US](https://www.fernco.com/plumbing/wax-free-toilet-seal)** > > Wax Free Toilet Seal Features A strong and flexible to sustain a positive seal Ideal for wall carriers and floor mounts Accommodates floors raised above the toilet flange by up to 3/4" Maintains a gas tight seal even when minor movement occurs Fast,... > **[7530 - BETTER THAN WAX™ Wax-Free Toilet Seal](https://www.fluidmaster.com/products/toilet/toilet-seals/wax-free-toilet-seal-fluidmaster-7530-better-than-wax/)** > > Fluidmaster Better Than Wax™ wax free toilet seal takes the mess out of toilet installation. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2022, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineering-for-different-countries-cultures-examples/964653/96 "2022-05-25T10:48:47Z")
In SEAsia, it’s quite common for concrete steps leading up to shops and homes to have a, 4-6” ramp built into the centre of the steps. It’s for moving your motorbike indoors at night, out of the weather and safe from thieves. Also great for getting anything heavy up the steps! It’s very effective and kinda clever. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2022, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineering-for-different-countries-cultures-examples/964653/97 "2022-05-25T13:10:34Z")
Seems like it’s time to mention the poop shelf toilet. Most articles refer to it as German, but I’ve only seen/used them in Austria: > **[Did You Know German Toilet Design is Different from Rest of the World? This...](https://wonderfulengineering.com/know-german-toilet-design-different-rest-world-wisdom-behind/)** > > Germans keeping intact their reputation of being the weirdest thanks to the self inspection concept in their toilet seats ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2022, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineering-for-different-countries-cultures-examples/964653/98 "2022-05-25T13:29:40Z")
Can’t say I pay close attention to the design of various toilets, but that one, at least, I have absolutely seen in Germany. Possibly also in France, though I am not positive. It is not meant to be “weird” though; the idea there is somebody came up with a design that minimizes splash-back. It’s not for “inspecting” excreta. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2022, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineering-for-different-countries-cultures-examples/964653/99 "2022-05-25T13:49:23Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > It is not meant to be “weird” though; the idea there is somebody came up with a design that minimizes splash-back. It’s not for “inspecting” excreta. Different sources point out different advantages and disadvantages of this toilet design. Most of the sources I’ve seen point to stool inspection as the primary “why” behind the design, but it would take a response from a designer of shelf-style toilets to really settle the matter. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2022, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineering-for-different-countries-cultures-examples/964653/100 "2022-05-25T14:12:23Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > it would take a response from a designer of shelf-style toilets to really settle the matter. A reply which would likely be along the lines of: "“Because that’s what people seem to want.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineering-for-different-countries-cultures-examples/964653.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineering-for-different-countries-cultures-examples/964653.md?page=6)