Heard on the radio today....

[quizmouse]

The joke was Why do mice spin?
The answer The higher the fewer
I must be very thick because i dont understand it???
Can anyone explain it, its really bugging us all here!!

[grasscarp]

It comes from an old engineering saying to do with steam engines:
The meaning has to do with the centrifugal governor on a steam engine - the
weight was called the mouse, and as the engine rpm increased the mouse
would rise due to centrifugal force. But as the mouse rose, the arm
would force the steam valve in the more closed direction, thus
reducing the rpm, that is, the higher (the mouse), the fewer (rpms).
So for a given setting of the mouse on the arm, the engine would run
at a constant speed.

So the riddle should actually be: How is a mouse when it spins? - The higher, the fewer.

Obviously due to the fact that this riddle is so old it has been open to misinterpretation over the years.

I cant take credit for this detailed answer quizmouse, I found it via google.

[sophie_1003]

i heard that as well, on Scott Mills? I didn't understand it either! Did you hear the snail one he didnt understand, missed that one?

[quizmouse]

Thanks for the explanation but it's hardly a joke or am i really missing something?? and yes i did hear the snail one (well my son did and relayed it to me) and I did get that one. Ah well cant understand everything I suppose.