HNGlance

Top Best New Show

Measuring Angle and Distance with your Thumb

http://www.vendian.org/mncharity/dir3/bodyruler_angle/

by hhm • 19 years ago

29 2 19 years ago

VE

Related Stories

Loading related stories...

Comments

2

s_baar• 19 years ago

Now that's cool. This seems like one of those things they should teach recon soldiers.

auferstehung• 19 years ago

The width of your thumb at arms length is a very natural unit of measure. As the article states, it is approximately 2 degrees of solid angle. If you ray trace your thumb at arms length back into your eyeballs, the image of your thumb will cover the fovea http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fovea The fovea is the little dimple on your retina responsible for sharp vision. This happens to be the solid angle that is used to define the CIE color charts http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIE_1931_color_space

If I am not misremembering, two degrees solid angle (your thumb at arms length) also covers the angular width of the sun and moon.

Source preview

vendian.org

HNGlance

© 2024-2026 HN Glance. Story content belongs to its original sources.

Privacy
Terms