Lunch Time Math

I received a comment the other day in reference to a previous blog post on World War II torpedoes and submarines. I was asked if I could go into more detail about how the fire control problem was solved. I had some time over lunch today, so I wrote a quick description. As I wrote up my answer, I thought it might be interesting for people to see how I write up my mathematics for commercial use. I cannot post my business correspondence because of confidentiality issues, but I used the same format for this document.

Anyway, I was asked to provide information on how to implement the algorithm described in this old US Navy reference -- downloaded from HNSA's excellent web site.

Excerpt from Old Navy Torpedo Data Computer Manual

I put together a Mathcad model that worked nicely for this application. Since most folks do not have Mathcad, I PDFed the worksheet and put it here.

Position Keeper Modeling

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4 Responses to Lunch Time Math

  1. Pingback: Torpedo Data Computer Video | Math Encounters Blog

  2. Have you taken a look at Scilab? It's free and would enable more people to explore your mathematics.

    • mathscinotes says:

      I regularly use Scilab and I may start blogging with some of those applications. I actually have access to a number of mathematics tools, but I always find myself drawn to Mathcad because it is so darn simple to use and I can get so much done with it quickly. However, I do understand your point and I will think about it.

      Mathscinotes

  3. Pingback: A World War 1 Mechanical Torpedo Fire Control Computer | Math Encounters Blog

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