EPA assumes the last digit to be interpolated.  Therefore if your  
least precise measurement is to the nearest tenth then EPA assumes the  
hundredth place is an estimate and data should be stated to the  
hundredth.

Gary

On Dec 8, 2009, at 9:25 AM, Bob <[email protected]> wrote:

> Lee,
>
>    You rascal. You took the bait. Significant digits. Yes, we
> overstate the implied accuracy when we show too many decimal digits.
> One decimal digit is pushing it, let alone two.
>
>    In the Air Force on engineering projects, we we're forced to show
> 4 decimal digits on calculations we we're pulling out of private body
> cavities. I wrote a paper on that, but it wasn't especiaaly well
> received by the brass.
>
> Bob
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Dec 8, 2009, at 8:50 AM, Lee Frelich <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Bob:
>>
>> There is no way you can measure a tree to the nearest hundreth of a
>> foot--e.g. 156.05 feet. Please get out your 7th grade math textbook
>> and
>> review the chapter on significant digits.
>>
>> Also, because cold air is denser than warm air, the laser beam goes
>> through it more slowly, thereby over-estimating tree heights on cold
>> days. Therefore, all of the trees you measured are an inch shorter
>> than
>> you reported. In the future, please restrict tree height measuring to
>> days when the temperature is within +/- 2 degrees of the temperature
>> inside the factory where your rangefinder was made.
>>
>> Lee
>>
>>
>>
>> [email protected] wrote:
>>> ENTS,
>>>
>>> Braving a colder than comfortable temperature, I finished  
>>> remeasuring
>>> the 150s in the Trees of Peace today - at least I think I have. The
>>> trees in the table below have been measured within the Trees of  
>>> Peace
>>> stand, not to include the Mast Pine area. I have a more work to do
>>> there. Plenty of pines have been measured elsewhere, which will be
>>> reported in due course.
>>>
>>> One very important measurement today was the confirmation of the
>>> Mirror Tree as 156.05 feet in height taken at mid-slope. I should
>>> explain. The tree's trunk is partly buried. Will Blozan and I
>>> measured
>>> it a few seasons ago and projected the location of its true base. It
>>> was a provisional 156 then. Today I dug down at mid-slope location
>>> and
>>> took a new mid-slope spot as the base, although I still had not
>>> reached the root flare. However, the new mid-slope basal position is
>>> sufficiently low to allow a 156.05-foot measurement. The tree's true
>>> base is farther down. How much? Maybe another 0.5 to 1.0 feet. I
>>> don't
>>> think more than that. Now to the table. The height of the Joe Norton
>>> tree reflects Andrew's tape drop measurement.
>>>
>>>
>>> Crown Distance - Yds    Crown Angle -degrees    Hgt Above Eye Level
>>> -ft
>>> Base Distance - Yds    Base Angle -degrees    Hgt Below Eye Level - 
>>> ft
>>> Offset -ft    Total Tree Height-ft    Tree Name    Tag #    Date
>>> 72.00    31.50    112.86    62.00    17.20    55.00    1.50
>>> 169.36    Jake
>>> Swamp    58    12/2/09
>>>                                   163.50    163.50    Joe
>>> Norton    52    10/17/09
>>> 61.00    49.00    138.11    37.00    11.80    22.70
>>> 160.81    John Brown    48
>>> 12/2/09
>>> 63.00    37.60    115.32    52.00    13.00    35.09    6.70
>>> 157.11    Tom
>>> Porter    31    12/2/09
>>> 55.00    48.00    122.62    42.00    15.50    33.67
>>> 156.29    Tuning Fork
>>> 44    12/2/09
>>> 68.50    37.90    126.24    55.00    10.20    29.22    0.60
>>> 156.05    Mirror    77
>>> 12/7/09
>>> 59.00    37.90    108.73    47.50    18.60    45.45    1.10
>>> 155.28    Arovl Lookin
>>> Horse    26    12/2/09
>>> 60.50    50.50    140.05    41.00    4.90    10.51    4.50
>>> 155.06    Unnamed    37
>>> 12/2/09
>>> 66.00    41.40    130.94    52.50    6.80    18.65    5.00
>>> 154.59    Lynn
>>> Rogers    34    12/2/09
>>> 51.50    54.90    126.40    28.00    18.50    26.65    1.30
>>> 154.36    Paula
>>> Horn    27    11/4/09
>>> 53.00    50.80    123.22    39.00    15.00    30.28
>>> 153.50    Tribe-1    41
>>> 12/2/09
>>> 64.00    36.80    115.01    53.50    13.70    38.01
>>> 153.03    Ravine    82    12/7/09
>>> 57.50    49.20    130.58    36.00    7.70    14.47    6.00
>>> 151.05    Guardian    70
>>> 12/2/09
>>> 55.50    52.60    132.27    41.00    8.60    18.39
>>> 150.66    Unnamed    35    12/2/09
>>> 53.00    49.00    120.00    36.00    13.70    25.58    5.00
>>> 150.58    Hollow    83
>>> 12/7/09
>>> 55.50    47.20    122.17    37.00    14.50    27.79    0.50
>>> 150.46    Ann Joc
>>> None    12/2/09
>>> 63.00    44.80    133.18    44.00    7.50    17.23
>>> 150.41    Unnamed    85    12/2/09
>>> 49.00    60.90    128.44    24.00    12.30    15.34    6.60
>>> 150.38    Unnamed    28
>>> 12/7/09
>>> 67.00    32.10    106.81    57.00    14.70    43.39
>>> 150.20    Unnamed    5    12/2/09
>>> 63.00    38.60    117.91    57.00    9.00    26.75    4.80
>>> 149.46    Unnamed    36
>>> 12/2/09
>>> 51.00    52.80    121.87    32.50    12.20    20.60    5.60
>>> 148.07    Member of
>>> Tribe    40    12/7/09
>>> 63.00    39.70    120.73    51.50    7.70    20.70    5.00
>>> 146.43    Dave Chief
>>> 63    12/7/09
>>> 47.00    54.00    114.07    29.00    16.60    24.85    6.50
>>> 145.43    Road
>>> warrior    79    12/7/09
>>> 53.50    42.60    108.64    39.50    18.00    36.62
>>> 145.26    Dave Chief    63
>>> 12/2/09
>>> 53.00    43.90    110.25    40.50    13.30    27.95    6.30
>>> 144.50    Italian
>>> None    12/2/09
>>> 48.00    51.20    112.22    34.00    11.20    19.81    6.00
>>> 138.04    Member of
>>> Tribe    39    12/7/09
>>> 47.50    50.40    109.80    31.50    10.90    17.87    6.30
>>> 133.97    Unnamed    29
>>> 12/7/09
>>>
>>>
>>> Before I left, I measured one tree in the Cherokee-Choctaw area. It
>>> is
>>> a tree visible from the the road down to the lower meadow. I spent a
>>> good 35 minutes with the tree and finally settled on a height of
>>> 149.3
>>> feet. The pine's girth is 10.1 feet in girth. This is the second  
>>> pine
>>> I've confirmed in the re-measurement project above 149 feet but not
>>> quite 150. Next year, both should be inducted into the 150 Club.
>>>
>>> So what's the bottom line? The final count of 150s in the Trees of
>>> Peace stands at 19. The net change of 150s is down by one from  
>>> what I
>>> previously had listed. The Dave Chief was a big surprise. I
>>> re-measured it again and can't get over 146.4 feet. It used to be a
>>> 150. Gain some, lose some.
>>>
>>> Bob
>>> -- 
>>> Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org
>>> Send email to [email protected]
>>> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en
>>> To unsubscribe send email to [email protected]
>>
>> -- 
>> Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org
>> Send email to [email protected]
>> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en
>> To unsubscribe send email to [email protected]
>
> -- 
> Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org
> Send email to [email protected]
> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en
> To unsubscribe send email to [email protected]

-- 
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