how would you make a perfect square?
how would you make a perfect square?
just something i was thinking about today/this evening at work in between processes. actually, the square is not really the challenge.... its the perfect 90deg. angle. if you had that, making a square would be simple.
lets say you were stranded on a desert island with no measuring tools of any kind (you could have a knife and axe and a pencil and the like), and nothing that you already know the exact dimentions of. granted you could make string or a cereal bowl or whe\atever. but i am talking about a perfect 90deg angle.... and that means you could prove how/why you know its exactly 90deg (remember proofs in geometry?).
there are many different solutions to this, so if one person has an answer then try to think of a different one. using only basic materials, the laws of physics, geometry, trig, etc. and no guesswork.
lets say you were stranded on a desert island with no measuring tools of any kind (you could have a knife and axe and a pencil and the like), and nothing that you already know the exact dimentions of. granted you could make string or a cereal bowl or whe\atever. but i am talking about a perfect 90deg angle.... and that means you could prove how/why you know its exactly 90deg (remember proofs in geometry?).
there are many different solutions to this, so if one person has an answer then try to think of a different one. using only basic materials, the laws of physics, geometry, trig, etc. and no guesswork.
"I think this day will go down as a black day in the history of mankind"
-Leo Szilard - December 2, 1942, following the first successful nuclear fission test.
-Leo Szilard - December 2, 1942, following the first successful nuclear fission test.
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its simple to make a square all have to do is find units of equal measure. if you draw 3 lines in the sand and then draw 4 lines of equal measurement at an approxaimet right angle, then adjuste the angle until it measured 5 from point to point you would have a perfect right angle to make a square
ex a
- -
3 - 5
- - - - -
I - 4 - I
ex b
o
.. o
o... o
........o
o..o..o..o
ex a
- -
3 - 5
- - - - -
I - 4 - I
ex b
o
.. o
o... o
........o
o..o..o..o
thats a good one to tell customers when the complain about shotty construction !Originally posted by S1lv3r
There is no such thing as a perfect square, nor a perfect circle. Every thing will have its irregularities at some point. Thus in this world nothing can or ever will be perfect. We can allways hope to attain perfection, but there will allways be some irregularitie. Thas just the way it is shugah.![]()

true, there is no such thing as a truely perfect anything. i also know this as i am a CNC machinist and programmer. lerning a 5-axis Deckel Maho DMU 50 eVolution right now
.so i was not expecting to have to call out for a degree tolerance.
okay, lets say +/- .5 deg. not impossible, but not achievable by guessing (and i like the solution(s) so far). shows how there is more than one way to protract a cat

okay, lets say +/- .5 deg. not impossible, but not achievable by guessing (and i like the solution(s) so far). shows how there is more than one way to protract a cat

"I think this day will go down as a black day in the history of mankind"
-Leo Szilard - December 2, 1942, following the first successful nuclear fission test.
-Leo Szilard - December 2, 1942, following the first successful nuclear fission test.
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Yup. The old 3/4/5 rule. And when you're done doing that, you can measure (with anything) from corner to corner. Both sets of corners should measure the same 'exact' measurement. Emphasis on exact as there is no exact perfect circle/square/whatever that we can ever draw.Originally posted by Randy
its simple to make a square all have to do is find units of equal measure. if you draw 3 lines in the sand and then draw 4 lines of equal measurement at an approxaimet right angle, then adjuste the angle until it measured 5 from point to point you would have a perfect right angle to make a square
ex a
- -
3 - 5
- - - - -
I - 4 - I
ex b
o
.. o
o... o
........o
o..o..o..o
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