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Fort's 'Measurement Of A Circle'

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butterfly27

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When the measurement of a circle can begin anywhere, does that include the centre, and does it depend on how many dimensions it has?

Please discuss.

Curious forever. Hope not.:confused:
 
Apothesis:
The measure of an arc of a circle can begin anywhere. The measure of a circle must begin in the centre.
A circle is two-dimensional only.
 
But did Charles Fort mention the arc, or just the circle?:confused:
 
To measure a circle you don't need to start at the centre; you only need the circumference. There is only one circle with any one particular circumference.
 
What if there are two circles the same size?

He clearly meant the circumference, rather than diameter, could be measured starting anywhere. It plainly isn't true otherwise.
 
apothesis (from http://www.dictionary.com)

\A*poth"e*sis\, n. [Gr. ? a putting back or away, fr. ?. See Apothecary.] (Arch.) (a) A place on the south side of the chancel in the primitive churches, furnished with shelves, for books, vestments, etc. --Weale. (b) A dressing room connected with a public bath.


The measure of a circle must begin in the centre.
Click to expand...


I always figured that "measure a circle starting anywhere" business probably related to "walking" the circumference in which case obviously it doesn't matter where on the circumference you start, provided you also stop there, although depending on what measurement you want to take I suppose you could start literally anywhere. The centre is a damn fine place to start if you want to do a bunch of calculations about the various properties of said circle though .... but that's 'O' level maths not fortean philosophy!!

I suspect the point of the expression is to encourage and demonstrate the validity of lateral or 'out-of-the-box' thinking .... in which case I agree with you the best place to start measuring a circle is quite possibly a swimming baths changing room.
 
A circle is described: Pi * r * r
Therefore a circle is defined by it's radius. It's radius is measured from a the centre point to a another point in space, ergo a circle must start at it's centre. :blah:
 
Inverurie Jones said:
He clearly meant the circumference, rather than diameter, could be measured starting anywhere. It plainly isn't true otherwise.
Click to expand...

But once one has the circumference one knows everything about the circle. The circumference dictates the diameter/radius and that's about all you need to know. Two circles with the same circumference are identical.
 
lizard23 said:
apothesis (from http://www.dictionary.com)

\A*poth"e*sis\, n. [Gr. ? a putting back or away, fr. ?. See Apothecary.] (Arch.) (a) A place on the south side of the chancel in the primitive churches, furnished with shelves, for books, vestments, etc. --Weale. (b) A dressing room connected with a public bath.
Click to expand...

:D I knew it sounded wrong
 
Atch said:
But once one has the circumference one knows everything about the circle. The circumference dictates the diameter/radius and that's about all you need to know. Two circles with the same circumference are identical.
Click to expand...

Ah, but if you start on the circumference then that is what you are measuring. Everything else is a bonus.
 
This is starting to look like an engineer, a physicist and a philosopher joke :p
 
Inverurie Jones said:
Ah, but if you start on the circumference then that is what you are measuring. Everything else is a bonus.
Click to expand...

I think that's what Chuck was saying. The circumference is the only thing about a circle that actually exists. If you draw a circle the ink only goes around the circumference. The centre is just a projection and the diameter a property found by using pi.
 
You can only deduce the rest of something from what you can see. Basically.
 
Atch said:
I think that's what Chuck was saying. The circumference is the only thing about a circle that actually exists. If you draw a circle the ink only goes around the circumference. The centre is just a projection and the diameter a property found by using pi.
Click to expand...


So a circle is just an arc that joins itself? It has no area?
 
There is an area within a circle, but a circle in itself is indeed an arc that joins itself.
 
I would say a circle is the area described by an encapsulating arc, not the arc, otherwise the description of a circle would be 2*Pi*r. 2*Pi*r, however, is the description of the circumference of a circle, it is a part of the circle but not all.
 
I always considered a circle to be the line around the outside. A two dimensional ring, if you will.
 
A circle does not include its area. A circle is but itself
 
Anyone who says a crcle has area is mistaking a circle with a disc.
 
Meantime, the UFOs have all pissed off back to Alpha Centauri, the crop circles have been harvested, the ABCs have gone clubbing with Nessie and Bigfoot (and their other hirsute relatives), and the entire population of the world have succumbed to SARS and SHC.

IT'S A CIRCLE, FFS!
 
Methinks it was more of an example of Fort's silliness... ;)
 
DerekH said:
Meantime, the UFOs have all pissed off back to Alpha Centauri, the crop circles have been harvested, the ABCs have gone clubbing with Nessie and Bigfoot (and their other hirsute relatives), and the entire population of the world have succumbed to SARS and SHC.

IT'S A CIRCLE, FFS!
Click to expand...

:p :D
 
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