science

Icky-pick

Icky-pick is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Icky-pick rather than just read about it. In short: Icky-pick or icky-pic is a gelatinous cable compound used in outdoor-rated communications cables, including both twisted-pair copper cabling and fiber-optic cabling. "PIC" is the abbreviation for "plastic insulated cable". The cable is filled with an "icky" substance.

Key takeaways

Icky-pick belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Icky-pick to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Icky-pick from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Icky-pick or icky-pic is a gelatinous cable compound used in outdoor-rated communications cables, including both twisted-pair copper cabling and fiber-optic cabling. "PIC" is the abbreviation for "plastic insulated cable". The cable is filled with an "icky" substance. The filled cable itself, therefore, is called an "icky PIC". Icky-pick has two primary functions:

Deter animals from biting and damaging the cable due to the smell and taste of the gel Seal any nick or gash in the outer jacket if they do bite it, preventing water from entering the cable and damaging it by corrosion and freeze expansion The actual icky-pick compound is a very thick petroleum-based substance e.g. petroleum jelly, and is only rated for outdoor use, frequently direct-buried in the ground. An outdoor cable spliced onto an indoor terminal block is prone to leak the gelatin, hence in many situations the icky-pic cable is spliced outside the building to a short run of normal cable which runs through a protective conduit into the building. The thick gel stains clothing and hands and is very difficult to remove. When fiber-optic cables are to be spliced, the gel must be removed with solvents and swabs to prevent fouling of the splice. Paint thinner or charcoal starter is a frequently used and commonly available remover and clean-up agent.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Icky-pick

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Icky-pick claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Icky-pick before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Icky-pick ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Icky-pick

In research: Icky-pick appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Icky-pick in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Icky-pick is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Petroleum products, Signal cables, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Icky-pick outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Icky-pick in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Icky-pick means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Icky-pick out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Icky-pick in simple terms?

Why does Icky-pick matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Icky-pick?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Icky-pick.