Aquaplaning or hydroplaning?

[LordGrover]

Different terms for the same effect or different?
Just read a review of some tyres which refers to hydroplaning qualities and avoidance thereof which was a new one on me, though I'm familiar with aquaplaning.

[crofty1984]

IIRC, Aquaplaning is what they should have said. Hydroplaning is what a fast boat/ship does when it skips across the the surface of the water. I may also be completely wrong.

[hugoagogo]

same thing

aqua - latin, hydro - greek

[kambites]

crofty1984 said:

IIRC, Aquaplaning is what they should have said. Hydroplaning is what a fast boat/ship does when it skips across the the surface of the water. I may also be completely wrong.

That's my belief too.

Hydroplaning involves the use of under-water aerofoils to lift the vehicle so it displaces less than its own mass of water. Aquaplaning is simply an object's angle of incidence to the water causing it to skim over the surface (skimming a pebble, for example).

There is no particular reason for the distinction, the prefixes mean the same thing in their respective languages. This is just how they happen to be defined in English. I think.

Edited by kambites on Wednesday 25th February 10:18

[SLCZ3]

Aqua-planing is the effect of riding on the surface of the water and hydro-planing is when the aerofoil/legs of a boat are cutting through the water, but not rising completely out of the water, IIRC.

[hugoagogo]

isn't that Hydrofoiling?

[HellDiver]

Americans call it hydroplaning. The rest of the English speaking world calls it Aquaplaning.

[LordGrover]

Looking again, it may be a translation so maybe johnny foreigner prefers hydro- and we go for aqua-?

[Muzzlehatch]

LordGrover, the Johnny Foreigner also prefers "saftey", hydro"planning" and "breaking". So let's ignore that one.

They are the same, as has been mentioned above, based on their respective Latin and Greek roots.

Edited by Muzzlehatch on Wednesday 25th February 10:50

[LordGrover]

Yes sir.

[flemke]

LordGrover said:

Looking again, it may be a translation so maybe johnny foreigner prefers hydro- and we go for aqua-?

Except, in this example, it seems to refer to the weather forecast. .

[THX138]

As an aside, 'Aqua' is listed as the main ingredient of many products, notably cosmetics. It befuddles the 'underclass' who don't realise it is just water, and think they are getting an 'Exotic' ingredient.

[THX138]

flemke said:

LordGrover said:

Looking again, it may be a translation so maybe johnny foreigner prefers hydro- and we go for aqua-?

Except, in this example, it seems to refer to the weather forecast. .

Who wrote that , Hydro-planning instead of planing, Breaking instead of Braking..tut!

[Sam_68]

kambites said:

Hydroplaning involves the use of under-water aerofoils to lift the vehicle

As Hugo indicated, this is a hydrofoil:



A hydroplane is one of these:



As has been said already, aquaplaning and hydroplaning both have the same meaning,etymologically. Aquaplaning was the British form, hydroplaning the American form. Since we invented the language, ours is naturally the correct variant.

[kambites]

Sam_68 said:

As Hugo indicated, this is a hydrofoil:

I know that, but I thought a hydrofoil hydroplaned? "To hydrofoil" isn't a verb is it?

You're probably right though. The Americans definitely use "hydroplane" where we use "aquaplane". The only time I've heard Americans use the word "aquaplane", it was to refer to what we call a wake-board.

Edited by kambites on Wednesday 25th February 12:43