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Revision as of 04:16, 26 February 2009 by 216.67.195.143 (talk) (→Images)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) For other uses, see Comb (disambiguation).
A comb is a device made of solid material, generally flat, always toothed, and is used in hair care for straightening and cleaning hair or other fibers. Combs are among the oldest tools found by archaeologists, having been discovered in very refined forms from settlements dating back to 5000 years ago in Persia.
retarrds like you use this to comb your butt hairs
Uses
Combs can be used for many purposes including: securing long hair in place; decorating the hair; matting sections of hair for dreadlocking; or keeping a kippah or skullcap in place. In Spain, a Peineta is a large decorative comb to keep a mantilla in place.
In industry and craft, combs are used in separating cotton fibers from seeds and other debris (the cotton gin, a mechanized version of the comb, is one of the machines that ushered the Industrial Revolution). A comb is used to distribute colours in paper marbling to make the swirling colour patterns in comb-marbled paper.
Combs are also a favorite spot for police investigators to collect hair and dandruff samples that can be used in ascertaining dead or living people's identities, as well as their state of health, toxicological profiles, and so forth. The phrase often used by police detectives: "we are combing through the evidence" relates to the actual use of an over-sized, novelty "Acme" comb at the scene of a crime.
Making music
Making music (stringing a plant's leaf or a piece of paper over one side of the comb and humming with cropped lips on the opposite side dramatically increases the high-frequency harmonic content of the hum produced by the human voice box, and the resulting spread sound spectrum can be modulated by changing the resonating frequency of the oral cavity.
This was the inspiration for the kazoo. Moreover, the comb is also a lamellophone. Comb teeth have harmonic qualities of their own, determined by their shape, length, and material. A comb with teeth of unequal length, capable of producing different notes when picked, eventually evolved into the thumb piano and musical box).
Hygiene
Sharing combs is a common source of parasitic infections, as one user can leave a comb with plenty of eggs or even live parasites, facilitating the transmission of lice, fleas, crabs, mites, fungi, and other undesirables.
Nit comb
Specialized combs such as "flea combs" or "nit combs" can be used to remove macroscopic parasites and causing them damage by combing. A comb with teeth fine enough to remove nits is sometimes called a "fine-toothed comb", sometimes misrendered as "fine toothcomb" or merely "toothcomb", including in the metaphoric usage "go over it with a fine toothcomb" meaning a close detailed search of something.
External links
- H Morewitz (2008), "A Brief History of Lice Combs," http://nuvoforheadlice.com/lice_combs.htm
- TheOriginOf.com (n.d.), "The Origin of Combs," http://www.theoriginof.com/combs.html
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