2b3a51 4 hours ago

https://gsp.humboldt.edu/OLM/courses/GSP_510/Articles/Mandel...

Link to a pdf file that you don't need an institutional login for.

I did an activity in a basic maths class based on this paper years ago. Each student had an A3 map of the main island of the UK. Some set their compasses to 5cm radius and counted the number of radii around the island. Others tried 2.5cm, and 1cm and half a cm. Worked ok, good lesson.

paradox460 3 hours ago

Infinitely long. You can't trick me with the coast paradox

  • _ache_ 43 minutes ago

    Actually ... Not infinitely long. You wont have a precise value since each measure can be increased by taking a smaller "step" or "ruler", but it won't be infinite.

    • saghm 8 minutes ago

      Unbounded, at least. If you give me a measurement, I can give you a larger one that's more precise.

  • theodric 44 minutes ago

    This guy* Mandelbrots

    *presumably, but maybe not

tiku 2 hours ago

Depends on your measurements. If you measure with 1 cm it is longer than if measure with 10 cm.

ck2 44 minutes ago

ah the coastline paradox

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastline_paradox

where the sampling rate affects distance measured

this is also why the GPS on your watch will reports different distances the more frequently it samples, ie. once per second vs once per every few seconds, think curves becoming diagonal lines

it's also why they measure official distances using a wheel on a stick

twocommits 2 hours ago

[flagged]

  • 2b3a51 an hour ago

    There is a lot of coastline and not that many police/coastguards. In fact we have been closing down the coastguard stations since satellite tracking of commercial shipping became the norm.

    (I come from a part of the UK that was notorious for smuggling, wrecking and other forms of piracy).

    • gib444 an hour ago

      They're referring to the aslyum seekers (groan)

      605 on 10 boats just 3 days ago...

      FWIW it's a political problem, not a defence problem.