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Monthly Archives: November 2010
The Mathematics of Rafter and Collar Ties
Introduction As a boy, I remember seeing a dilapidated farm building that had a set of rafter ties in its attic. I noticed that the rafter ties had pulled away from the rafters they were nailed to. The rafter ties … Continue reading
Carpentry Math – Drawing a Circular Arch
I must admit that I find a certain satisfaction in the geometry that pops up in general carpentry. Fine Homebuilding has a nice video on drawing a circular arch that uses a basic geometric construction. This is something that I … Continue reading
Similarity Between Writing and Designing
I have always been interested in the actual process of design and its similarity to other tasks. I was reading an interesting blog post this morning on the process of writing. Continue reading
Posted in Management, Technical Writing
Tagged design process, management, writing
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Straight, Level, and the Curvature of the Earth
The statement about the curvature of Earth got me thinking. How much does the Earth's surface deviate from a horizontal line over a distance of 100 feet? The contractor's number intuitively seemed wrong because the Earth is round and the deviation from horizontal should be a function of distance. A little math will give me the answer. For consistency's sake, I will perform all computations in US customary units. Continue reading
Posted in Construction
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The Importance of Role Models
My story is about Frank Schiebe, the university professor of engineering. Frank died a couple of year ago and his high school recently posthumously gave him their 2010 Distinguished Alumni Award. I happened to be flipping through the local television channels recently when I saw that the local educational channel was playing a ceremony honoring Frank's life. Boy did that story bring back memories … Continue reading
Carpentry Math - Drawing an Ellipse
Quote of the Day I think the surest sign that there is intelligent life out there in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us. — Calvin and Hobbes Today, I received an issue of Fine … Continue reading
Posted in Construction
Tagged carpentry, elllipse, fine homebuillding
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The Case of the Mysterious Radio Interference
Quote of the Day I mean the word proof not in the sense of the lawyers, who set two half proofs equal to a whole one, but in the sense of a mathematician, where half a proof is zero, and … Continue reading
Posted in Electronics, Management
Tagged amateur radio, interference, RFI
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Measuring the Ring Voltage on a Telephone
Quote of the Day Money can't buy happiness, but it can make you awfully comfortable while you're being miserable. — Clare Boothe Luce Introduction I received an email yesterday from a sales engineer who was having difficulty measuring the ring … Continue reading
Personality Characteristics of a Great Engineering Hire
Quote of the Day Acting was fun, but my grandfather would always tell me, "It's never too late to be an engineer." You were supposed to get a "job" and do acting on weekends or at school. — Jon Hamm … Continue reading