proof-of-work means when the boss looks over your shoulder you point and say "look what i did!".
does proof-of-work have any other meaning to the average person?
Don't know about the "average person", but "work" is a physics term that measures energy consumed in Joules. One Joule is equal to a watt.second. Finding the "magic number" proves that on average, you expended a certain ammount of energy (given reasonable assumptions about your mining setup).
yep, sure. i was just pointing to the fact that this thread is supposed to be for 'non bitcoiners'.
i guess there are a lot of non-bitcoiners that studied physics, but i took it to mean 'non technically minded people'.