Chad (paper)

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Chads are paper particles created when holes are made in a paper, card or similar synthetic materials, typically computer punched tape or punch cards.

Chads were made famous in the highly contentious 2000 presidential election in the United States, where a majority in the U.S. Electoral College was determined in Florida by the counting of punch card ballots. Voters leaving incompletely-punched holes resulted partially-punched chads, where one or more corners were still attached, or dimpled chads (also known as pregnant chads) where all corners were still attached, but an indentation appeared to have been made.

Chads are more commonly seen in mundane, everyday settings. When a hole punch (of the functional or decorative type) is used, it removes a small amount of paper - a chad. Chads are also common in stores, where holes are punched so that merchandise can be hung on pegs or clip strips.

Likewise, chads can also be the result of punching holes in any sort of thin material, such as cloth, plastic, or even sheet metal.

The term "chad" was originally used as a mass noun, similar to "sand": "chad" meant "a pile of paper debris", and the individual paper piece might be called "a piece of chad". Nowadays, however, the word seems to be used in the singular, thus "a chad", "hanging chads" and so on.

The 2006 film Bobby makes light of the term chad by calling it Card Hole Aggregate Debris.

1 Etymology
2 Partially-punched chads
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Etymology

The origin of the term chad is uncertain. (It has been seen in Teletype Corp. parts catalogs for tape punch units that were first invented in the 1920s. The metal tube that collects the chad is called the "chad chute", and they collect in a "chad box"). The term chad predates the Chadless punch which makes a U-shaped hole rather than punching it out entirely. It is more likely from the Scottish name for river gravel, chad, or the British slang for louse, chat.

[edit] Partially-punched chads

When a chad is not fully detached from the ballot it is described by various terms corresponding to the level of indentation. The following terms generally apply when describing a four-cornered chad:

Hanging chads are attached to the ballot at only one corner.
Swinging chads are attached to the ballot at two corners.
Tri-chads are attached to the ballot at three corners.
Pregnant or dimpled chads are attached to the ballot at all four corners, but bear an indentation indicating the voter may have intended to mark the ballot. (Sometimes pregnant is used to indicate a greater mark than dimpled.)