science

Small penis rule

Small penis rule 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 Small penis rule rather than just read about it. In short: The small penis rule is an informal strategy used by authors to evade libel lawsuits. It was described in a New York Times article by Dinitia Smith in 1998: "For a fictional portrait to be actionable, it must be so accurate that a reader of the book would have no problem linking the two," said Mr.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The small penis rule is an informal strategy used by authors to evade libel lawsuits. It was described in a New York Times article by Dinitia Smith in 1998:

"For a fictional portrait to be actionable, it must be so accurate that a reader of the book would have no problem linking the two," said Mr. Friedman. Thus, he continued, libel lawyers have what is known as "the small penis rule". One way authors can protect themselves from libel suits is to say that a character has a small penis, Mr. Friedman said. "Now no male is going to come forward and say, 'That character with a very small penis, that's me!'" In Nebraska Law Review: Bulletin, Professor Michael Conklin writes that the use of the small penis rule would be ineffective to defend against defamation lawsuits. The reasons given are that the statement that a person has a small penis can be taken as defamatory in itself; the use of the rule is effectively an admission that defamation did occur; and the libelled person need not necessarily admit to having a small penis in order to claim damages. Conklin argues that its effectiveness is that the potential humiliation of being associated with a character with a small penis may deter legal action from being initiated.

Examples The small penis rule was referenced in a 2006 dispute between American journalist Michael Crowley and American author Michael Crichton. Crowley alleged that after he wrote an unflattering review of Crichton's novel State of Fear, Crichton included a character named "Mick Crowley" in the novel Next. The character is a child rapist, described as being a Washington, D.C.–based journalist and Yale graduate with a small penis. In response to being snubbed by fellow writer and former classmate Martin Amis, British crime writer Peter James included in his novel Not Dead Yet a villainous character named Amis Smallbone. In the novel, Smallbone's penis is mocked by a prostitute, who refers to it as "like a tiny little pencil stub". The television show QI, while discussing the small penis rule, cited Amis Smallbone as an example.

See also Defamation Dignitary tort Human penis size

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Small penis rule

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Small penis rule 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 Small penis rule 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 Small penis rule 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 Small penis rule

In research: Small penis rule 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 Small penis rule 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: Small penis rule is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1998 neologisms, Defamation, Human penis, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Small penis rule 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 Small penis rule in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Small penis rule 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 Small penis rule out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Small penis rule in simple terms?

The small penis rule is an informal strategy used by authors to evade libel lawsuits. It was described in a New York Times article by Dinitia Smith in 1998: "For a fictional portrait to be actionable, it must be so accurate that a reader of the book would have no problem linking the two," said Mr.

Why does Small penis rule 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 Small penis rule?

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 Small penis rule.