murphy's law

Meanings

• principle

  A principle that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

  - "Murphy's Law states that if there are two or more ways to do something, and one of those ways can result in a catastrophe, then someone will do it."
  - "If there are four possible ways in which a system can fail and three of these ways have been accounted for, then the fourth way will inevitably cause a failure."
  - "Murphy's Law applies to hardware as well as software: if there are two ways to do something, and one of those ways can result in data loss, then the data will be lost."

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Rhymes

Words rhyming with murphy's law
murfrees , murphy's , sorrowfies

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Variants

List of all variants of murphy's law that leads to same result
Murphy's Law , Murphy's Laws

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Etymology

origin and the way in which meanings have changed throughout history.

Murphy's Law is believed to have originated in the aerospace industry in the mid-20th century. The name 'Murphy' is thought to have come from Captain Edward A. Murphy, who is said to have discovered the principle when an equation used in a test was inadvertently entered with the wrong sign. The principle was later popularized in the military and became known as 'Murphy's Law'.

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Trivia

Any details, considerations, events or pieces of information regarding the word

1. Murphy's Law was popularized in the military by the U.S. Navy, who included it in their official manual of military procedures in 1977.

2. Murphy's Law is sometimes referred to as 'The Law of Sod' in the United Kingdom and other countries.

3. There is a Murphy's Law meme that shows a picture of a glass of water on a table, with the caption 'It will spill.'.

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Related Concepts

informations on related concepts or terms closely associated with the word. Discuss semantic fields or domains that the word belongs to

1. Sod's Law: A similar principle to Murphy's Law, often used interchangeably, but with a more colloquial and humorous tone.

2. Lewis's Law: A related principle that states that the probability of a system failure increases with the complexity of the system.

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Culture

Any cultural, historical, or symbolic significance of the word. Explore how the word has been used in literature, art, music, or other forms of expression.

Murphy's Law has become a popular adage in various fields, including engineering, project management, and computer science. It is often used to highlight the importance of anticipating potential problems and planning for contingencies. The principle has been the subject of numerous books, articles, and even a documentary film.

How to Memorize "murphy's law"

1. visualize
   

   - Imagine a series of dominoes. Each domino represents a potential problem or failure. Murphy's Law states that if you set up the dominoes in a way that allows for a catastrophic failure (i.e., knocking down all the dominoes at once), then that is exactly what will happen.

2. associate
   

   - Associate Murphy's Law with the image of a monkey wrench being thrown into a well-oiled machine. The monkey wrench represents an unexpected problem or failure.

3. mnemonics
   

   - Use the acronym 'MURPH': 'M' for 'Murphy', 'U' for 'Unknowns', 'R' for 'Raise your expectations', 'P' for 'Prepare for the worst'.

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