[MWForum]Calling mathcats: geometry help please

Jeff Knope mwforum@lists.mathcats.com
Thu, 12 Aug 2004 03:50:16 -0700


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Wendy,

That's brilliant!=20

It drove me nuts for a half-hour, trying to figure out what on earth you =
were doing. Most especially, how you were doing the writing to =
"intersection. I even wondered, "Why would she make the lines different =
colors?" It finally occurred to me to look in the Project Tab. Duh.

It's interesting to note your program yields somewhat different results =
in EX than in Pro. This is because Pro's towards truncates heading to a =
whole number, resulting in errors of up to one full degree. EX's towards =
preserves the decimal portion of heading.

I have a Pro utility procedure toward that makes it behave like EX. If =
anyone wants it, just say so.

I think you may well have solved my problem. Thank you. Still, if anyone =
has a mathmatical solution, I'd love to see that too.

--Jeff


----- Original Message -----=20
From: "Wendy Petti" <wpetti@mathcats.com>
To: <mwforum@lists.mathcats.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2004 11:11 PM
Subject: RE: [MWForum]Calling mathcats: geometry help please


> I lack the programming and mathematical expertise needed to fully =
grasp let
> alone solve this problem, but I hope the attached project might be a =
step in
> the right direction.  I'm not very good with list processing, so I =
placed
> the 4 inputs as 4 lines in a textbox.  I leave it to one of you to =
adapt the
> code to the input format Jeff requests:  [[[x1 y1][x2 y2]] [[x3 y3][x4 =
y4]]]
> and to wrestle with the question of how to find an intersection =
outside the
> specified line segments.
>=20
> But I will say that at least with this simple example of inputs, where =
the
> two line segments do intersect, I've managed to draw the two line =
segments
> and output their intersection.
>=20
> My humble project could not handle coordinates that exceed the limits =
of the
> project page.  But it might be possible to use the basic concept of =
this
> project to extend line segments beyond their specified starting and =
ending
> points to determine if and where they intersect.
>=20
> Attached:  intersection_of_lines.mw2
>=20
> Wendy
> OWL's MicroWorlds in Action
> http://mia.openworldlearning.org
>=20
> 
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<BODY>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Wendy,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>That's brilliant! </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>It drove me nuts for a half-hour, =
trying to figure=20
out what on earth you were doing. Most especially,&nbsp;how you =
were&nbsp;doing=20
the writing to "intersection. I even wondered, "Why would she&nbsp;make=20
the&nbsp;lines different colors?" It finally occurred to me to look in =
the=20
Project Tab. Duh.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>It's interesting to note your program =
yields=20
somewhat different results in EX than in Pro. This is because=20
Pro's&nbsp;<STRONG>towards</STRONG>&nbsp;truncates heading to a whole =
number,=20
resulting in errors of up to one full degree. EX's=20
<STRONG>towards</STRONG>&nbsp;preserves the decimal portion of=20
heading.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I have a Pro utility procedure=20
<STRONG>toward</STRONG> that makes it behave like EX. If anyone wants =
it, just=20
say so.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I think you may well have solved my =
problem. Thank=20
you. Still, if anyone has a mathmatical solution, I'd love to see that=20
too.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>--Jeff</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>----- Original Message ----- </FONT>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>From: "Wendy Petti" &lt;</FONT><A=20
href=3D"mailto:wpetti@mathcats.com"><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>wpetti@mathcats.com</FONT></A><FONT face=3DArial =
size=3D2>&gt;</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>To: &lt;</FONT><A=20
href=3D"mailto:mwforum@lists.mathcats.com"><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>mwforum@lists.mathcats.com</FONT></A><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>&gt;</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2004 11:11=20
PM</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Subject: RE: [MWForum]Calling mathcats: =
geometry=20
help please</FONT></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial><BR><FONT size=3D2></FONT></FONT></DIV><FONT =
face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>&gt; I lack the programming and mathematical expertise needed =
to fully=20
grasp let<BR>&gt; alone solve this problem, but I hope the attached =
project=20
might be a step in<BR>&gt; the right direction.&nbsp; I'm not very good =
with=20
list processing, so I placed<BR>&gt; the 4 inputs as 4 lines in a =
textbox.&nbsp;=20
I leave it to one of you to adapt the<BR>&gt; code to the input format =
Jeff=20
requests:&nbsp; [[[x1 y1][x2 y2]] [[x3 y3][x4 y4]]]<BR>&gt; and to =
wrestle with=20
the question of how to find an intersection outside the<BR>&gt; =
specified line=20
segments.<BR>&gt; <BR>&gt; But I will say that at least with this simple =
example=20
of inputs, where the<BR>&gt; two line segments do intersect, I've =
managed to=20
draw the two line segments<BR>&gt; and output their =
intersection.<BR>&gt;=20
<BR>&gt; My humble project could not handle coordinates that exceed the =
limits=20
of the<BR>&gt; project page.&nbsp; But it might be possible to use the =
basic=20
concept of this<BR>&gt; project to extend line segments beyond their =
specified=20
starting and ending<BR>&gt; points to determine if and where they=20
intersect.<BR>&gt; <BR>&gt; Attached:&nbsp; =
intersection_of_lines.mw2<BR>&gt;=20
<BR>&gt; Wendy<BR>&gt; OWL's MicroWorlds in Action<BR>&gt; </FONT><A=20
href=3D"http://mia.openworldlearning.org"><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>http://mia.openworldlearning.org</FONT></A><BR><FONT =
face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>&gt; <BR>&gt; </FONT></BODY></HTML>

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