[USMA:35909] Re: Value of Pi

[Pat Naughtin]

Title: Re: [USMA:35902] Re: Value of Pi

On 29/01/06 1:48 AM, "Linda D. Bergeron" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> Thank you, Pat.
>
> Your idea is essentially the same as a mental experiment I was doing.
> Suppose I wanted to build a handheld odometer that would measure the
> distance that I walk. It would require a wheel 1 meter in circumference.
> When the wheel turned one revolution it would tick off a gauge built into
> the handle. By using the millimeter as the construction specification, I
> would come up with a device sufficient for my estimation purposes.

Dear Linda,

Your design for a hand held odometer is essentially the same as one that is widely used here in Australia and it is commercially available. I see them regularly in use by surveyors and road contractors all over Australia. I don't own one of these as I find them expensive.

Recently, I borrowed one from a civil engineer to help our local Rotary Club construct a 6 kilometre walking track with a marker every 100 metres so that people could keep a constant check on their walking pace -- most people walk at close to 100 metres per minute. See the PDF article 'Walking for fitness' at http://metricationmatters/articles for more details.

The one that I bought at the Sunday market is more a measuring device for small jobs and I have seen these used by floor covering people and also by painters -- it is light and has an extension handle so it is very portable.

By the way, I like your use of the term 'handheld odometer'. When I was in Greece some time ago, I noted that streets and roads were described as 'odos' and it occurred to me that the word odometer simply means 'road measurer'.

Cheers,

Pat Naughtin LCAMS (USMA), Member NSAA*
PO Box 305, Belmont, 3216
Geelong, Australia
Phone 61 3 5241 2008

Pat Naughtin is the editor of the free online monthly newsletter, 'Metrication matters'.
You can subscribe by going to http://www.metricationmatters.com/newsletter

 * Pat is the editor of the 'Numbers and measurement' chapter of the Australian Government Publishing Service 'Style manual – for writers, editors and printers', he is a Lifetime Certified Advanced Metrication Specialist (LCAMS) with the United States Metric Association, a member of the National Speakers Association of Australia and the International Federation for Professional Speakers. For more information go to: http://metricationmatters.com

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