Gene Mechtly wrote: >There are approximately 6284 milliradians in a full circle. >6400 - 6284 implies an error of about 2% by using 6400 instead of >6284 for full circle. This error of 2% is less than the inherent error >of World War I artillery shells. Thus, fire control compasses and dials >of that era were more simply divided into halves and quarters based on >6400 rather than on the more precise 6284.
I have been digging around trying to find a good web reference for the date that the mil was created but I can't. There are a couple of pages out there but for some reason I can't find them anymore. I was under the impression that they were created in Germany but not for WW1. There is apparently also a Soviet version of the mil which is 6000 in a circle. Since mils are still very highly regarded by NATO, WW1 shell error cannot be the reason for the continued success. I suspect that the 2% error 'budget' is mostly within the observer. -- Terry Simpson Human Factors Consultant [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.connected-systems.com Phone: +44 7850 511794
