Why is a hearing aid speaker called a receiver?

Hearing Aids
#22

If you’re truly curious about this:
It’s because in the days of horsie-back riding instead of autos, one never knew if the approaching rider on the ‘road’ was a good or bad person. So, once close enough, one was therefore able to draw one’s sword and defend themselves appropriately should they realize they were about to be attacked if they rode on the LEFT side of the road rather than right. :upside_down_face:
Just never dropped the habit, I suppose. Easier to keep, than to change. Just guessing at this point, however.

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#23

Like many, I too have wondered as to why the speaker is referred to as the receiver. Sure, it “receives” information from the microphones, bit it then (as a speaker should) it outputs that information to the ear.
Just like a speaker in a community hall receives information from a microphone and then puts that information out to the audience.

#24

Thank you, thank you, I’ve scratched my head over that one for some time.

#25

Yes.

It’s basically technological legacy determinism.

Same with typewriters and railway gauges. Also the size of the SRBs on the Shuttle.

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#26

If I remember correctly, the typewriter keys positions on the keyboard to slow down the typist. Depending on whether “memory fog” has settled on the information, it could be correct or incorrect. :wink:

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#27

In order to keep them from jamming up. I’ve heard that too.

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#29

Why do we drive on a parkway and park in a driveway?

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#30

More examples:
conventional current flow
the length of an inch
the length of a meter

#31

Regarding the Red blue coloring for left and right. Ships as well as other craft use Red lights to indicate their left side and green for the right side. Interestingly before the invention and use of incandescent light bulbs (which give a pale yellowish white light) ships used an oil lamp to light the lenses. So they used a blue lens on the right side which produced a green color when illuminated by the yellow flame light. Might be the origin of the red blue indications on hearing aids.

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#32

I’d always just assumed that it was “R for Red, R for Right” and the other was just for the sake of having to choose another color, so blue was chosen (shrug) :slight_smile: