No matter how fool-proof something may seem or how long it has existed without discrepancy, correction or improvement is always a possibility—even if it means updating after 99 years.

Stephen Hughes, a physics lecturer at the University of Technology, recently discovered that the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) had the wrong definition of siphon:

Siphons don’t work, it turns out, because of atmospheric pressure, as the OED has been saying since 1911. It’s all down to that law Isaac Newton figured out when an apple hit his head: g-r-a-v-i-t-y.

Siphons work by drawing fluids from a higher location to a lower one, not always an easy thing to do, as anyone who’s tried to empty a car’s gas tank would confirm.

The reason for the error? The dictionary’s response was simply, “the definition was written ‘by editors who were not scientists.’”

Indeed, editors are experts in language and written communication . . .  not science.  Yet, as any passionate specialist would agree, its not unreasonable to expect that accurate research and verification be valued and more so present throughout the work. So the question is, how has this error been missed for nearly 100 years?

The answer is simple: human error.

There are roughly 616,500 words in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), making the English vocabulary one of the largest in size in the world. So its fair to say that one incorrect definition (out of hundreds of thousands) is actually quite astounding; a rate of only .000162%. All the same, an error is an error. The definition of siphon will be corrected in the newest volume.

Escaping all types of error is something we may never overcome, but it is something we should certainly pursue. Without it, there would be little reason for change. Without change, there is little room for innovation. When there is a lack of innovation further knowledge, discovery and even creativity can dwindle or even halt altogether.

Slaughter Development views failure not as a disadvantage but as a means for finding success. If you are curious about embracing failure and using it to your own benefit, consider picking up a copy of  Failure: The Secret To Success. Written by Slaughter Development’s founder, this book reflects on the role of getting it wrong in finding ways to get it right.

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