The square root of two (numberphile video)

[pokerfan]

Approximately 1.414213562373095048801688724...

The square root of two is a fascinating number with a long and sordid history. It also forms the basis of most office paper, such as A4, A3, etc.

This video features Professor Roger Bowley and Dr James Grime.

[grantcart]

1. Is this going to be on the test?

[pokerfan]

3. President Ford agrees

[baldguy]

2. at 6:36: from Prof Bowley:

"If you come up with an idea which is right, but goes againt conventional wisdom, you can be sent to a desert island, or burnt at the stake, or executed, because people don't like their ideas about how the world should be upset. even if you can disprove that it's not a good idea to urinate towards the Sun."

I bet that Teabaggers wouldn't like this guy.

[dipsydoodle]

4. Nice presentation

I figured out the stuff on A paper sizes nearly twenty years ago when I selling photocopiers but don't recall why I bothered to do so.

[pokerfan]

5. paper

U.S. paper sizes are currently standard in the United States, the Philippines and Chile.



Imperial units of measurement are currently standard in the United States, Burma and Liberia.



No offense to the Philippines, Chile, Burma and Liberia, but c'mon!

[rerevisionist]

7. Halvable

Halvable paper sizes have sides in ratio 1.414 to 1.

This means when halved the paper is .707 to 1, or, turned round, 1 to .707, which is the same as 1.414 to 1.

So A0 when halved is A1, then A2 etc - useful for photocopying and printing.

You may have missed this point, which, after all, was not specifically mentioned.

[pokerfan]

8. It was covered in the video, was it not? (nt)

[dipsydoodle]

6. More on the subject in general here......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_216

... for anyone sufficiently interested.