Re: "pair of compasses"?

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Date: 13 Jun 2007 20:28:24 GMT
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Philip Eden (philipATweatherHYPHENukDOTcom) wrote:

"Michael J Hardy" <mjhardy@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Philip Eden (philipATweatherHYPHENukDOTcom) wrote:

I have to say, with some trepitudinousness, that I have never
consciously encountered the word "straightedge" (with or without
a hyphen) in this context in my half-century or so on this planet.
I mean, I can see what it means, given the context; it's what
I'd call a "rule" or "ruler". I well remember one schoolmaster

Amazing. I've heard that some secondary-school graduates
have never heard of Euclid, the most famous by far of all
ancient Greeks, but I'll never believe it. -- Mike Hardy

Sorry ... what's amazing?


It seemed as if you were saying you'd never heard either
"straightedge" or "straight-edge" or "straight edge" applied
to geometric constructions.

Since you mention rules, or rulers, I hope I won't be insulting
the intelligence of too many people by reminding everyone that
those, unlike straightedges, measure distances, and of course
allowing the measurement of distances in Euclidean constructions
would be logically (pardon the pun) circular. -- Mike Hardy


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: "pair of compasses"?
    ... consciously encountered the word "straightedge" (with or without ... a hyphen) in this context in my half-century or so on this planet. ... to geometric constructions. ... allowing the measurement of distances in Euclidean constructions ...
    (alt.usage.english)
  • Re: "pair of compasses"?
    ... consciously encountered the word "straightedge" (with or without ... a hyphen) in this context in my half-century or so on this planet. ... to geometric constructions. ... allowing the measurement of distances in Euclidean constructions ...
    (alt.usage.english)
  • Re: "pair of compasses"?
    ... consciously encountered the word "straightedge" (with or without ... a hyphen) in this context in my half-century or so on this planet. ... to geometric constructions. ... allowing the measurement of distances in Euclidean constructions ...
    (alt.usage.english)
  • Re: "pair of compasses"?
    ... consciously encountered the word "straightedge" (with or without ... a hyphen) in this context in my half-century or so on this planet. ... allowing the measurement of distances in Euclidean constructions ... That "ruler" in America means something for measuring distances, ...
    (alt.usage.english)
  • Re: "pair of compasses"?
    ... consciously encountered the word "straightedge" (with or without ... a hyphen) in this context in my half-century or so on this planet. ... allowing the measurement of distances in Euclidean constructions ... sends one to "Ruler, definition 2" where it is disclosed that ruler ...
    (alt.usage.english)
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