BB

BRuce

04/09/2003 2:57 PM

Math question - on topic

How does one caculate the diameter of a multi-sided ring. like a 5 - 8
sided ring to use as a landscape barrier around a tree.

BRuce


This topic has 9 replies

BB

BRuce

in reply to BRuce on 04/09/2003 2:57 PM

04/09/2003 5:39 PM

thanks for all the input. this will be much easier now. well it is off
the garage to start the next project.

BRuce

BRuce wrote:
> How does one caculate the diameter of a multi-sided ring. like a 5 - 8
> sided ring to use as a landscape barrier around a tree.
>
> BRuce
>

--
---

BRuce

BB

BRuce

in reply to BRuce on 04/09/2003 2:57 PM

04/09/2003 8:50 PM

"sorry Dave, I can't let you do that"

HAL 9000

Bay Area Dave wrote:

> when is recess?? I wanna go out! Waaaaaaaaaaaa!
>
> dave
>
> Leon wrote:
>
>> A little late but I have I have a copy of a miter program that is
>> small and
>> it calculates the angles, lengths, and slope of different thickness
>> wood for
>> any given number of sides. I can e-mail a copy to you if you like.
>>
>>
>>
>> <BRuce> wrote in message news:1062711524.885746@sj-nntpcache-5...
>>
>>> thanks for all the input. this will be much easier now. well it is off
>>> the garage to start the next project.
>>>
>>> BRuce
>>>
>>> BRuce wrote:
>>>
>>>> How does one caculate the diameter of a multi-sided ring. like a 5 - 8
>>>> sided ring to use as a landscape barrier around a tree.
>>>>
>>>> BRuce
>>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> ---
>>>
>>> BRuce
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>

--
---

BRuce

BB

BRuce

in reply to BRuce on 04/09/2003 2:57 PM

04/09/2003 8:51 PM

just plain geomtry :-)

BRuce

todd wrote:

> <BRuce> wrote in message news:1062701783.27367@sj-nntpcache-5...
>
>>How does one caculate the diameter of a multi-sided ring. like a 5 - 8
>>sided ring to use as a landscape barrier around a tree.
>>
>>BRuce
>
>
> Are we talking about spherical geometry or plane geometry? Apparently, you
> now have to specify which here in the Wreck.
>
> todd
>
>

--
---

BRuce

pR

in reply to BRuce on 04/09/2003 2:57 PM

05/09/2003 3:33 AM

n-2/360

RL

"Robin Lee"

in reply to BRuce on 04/09/2003 2:57 PM

04/09/2003 3:26 PM


"Robin Lee" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Bruce -
>
> Rules of thumb....
>
6-sided object: Width = Diameter ÷ 1.7

8-sided object: Width = Diameter ÷ 2.4

12-sided object: Width = Diameter ÷ 3.7

16-sided object: Width = Diameter ÷ 5.0
>
>
> Where width is width of stave....
>
> So - for 24" diameter, 6 sides - width of stave is 24/1.7 = 14"
>
> Or - if you want a 3' diameter, 8 staves....36/2.4 = 15"....
>
> Cheers,
>
> Rob
>
> <BRuce> wrote in message news:1062701783.27367@sj-nntpcache-5...
> > How does one caculate the diameter of a multi-sided ring. like a 5 - 8
> > sided ring to use as a landscape barrier around a tree.
> >
> > BRuce
> >
>
>

BA

Bay Area Dave

in reply to BRuce on 04/09/2003 2:57 PM

05/09/2003 12:55 AM

But Bruce, I need to swing my 2x4 around...oops...I meant my 1-1/2 x 3-1/2.

dave

BRuce wrote:

> "sorry Dave, I can't let you do that"
>
> HAL 9000
>
> Bay Area Dave wrote:
>
>> when is recess?? I wanna go out! Waaaaaaaaaaaa!
snip

bR

[email protected] (Robert Bonomi)

in reply to BRuce on 04/09/2003 2:57 PM

05/09/2003 4:45 AM

In article <1062701783.27367@sj-nntpcache-5>, BRuce <BRuce> wrote:
>How does one caculate the diameter of a multi-sided ring. like a 5 - 8
>sided ring to use as a landscape barrier around a tree.

A smart-ass answer would be "take the radius of the ring, and multiply by 2".

Seriously, assuming the sides are all the same length, and you know
a) the number of sides,
b) the length of a side
it's fairly straightforward.

"Imagine" a line from the end of each piece, to the center of the ring.
You now have a set of matching isosceles triangles, where each side of the
ring is the base of one of the triangles.

The 'vertex angle' of those triangles is (obviously) 360/n degrees, where n is
the number of sides.

In plane geometry, the sum of the inside angles of a triangle is 180 degrees.
And, for an isosceles triangle, the base angles are equal, so the base angle
will be (180-vertex_angle)/2.

Thus, the 'base angle' for each segment of an 'n-sided' ring will be:
(180-(360/n))/2) or (90-180/n)
This doesn't look meaningful, until you realize you can 'imagine' another line
from the midpoint of each side to the center. Which just happens to make a
right angle with the side.

Now, simple triginometry applies. we have the 'angle', and the length of
the 'adjacent side' (which is _half_ the total length of the side of the ring),
and want the length of the 'opposite side'. 'opposite'/'adjacent' is the
'tangent' function, so the length of the "opposite side" is:

tangent(90-180/n)*adjacent_side

This 'opposite side' is the radius of the largest circle that fits _inside_
the ring, so you double it to get the diameter.

If you want the circle that connects the 'points' of the ring, use

adjacent_side/cosine(90-180/n)

to determine the radius of _that_ circle, and, again, double the result for
diameter.

Short-cut: if you use the total length of the side of the ring, rather than
the length from the end to the point where the vertical connects, you get the
diameter directly.

Quickie table of tangents and cosines

sides base angle tan cos
4 45 1.000 .7071
5 54 1.376 .5877
6 60 1.732 .5000
8 67.5 2.414 .3826
10 72 3.077 .3090
12 75 3.732 .2588

Lr

"Leon"

in reply to BRuce on 04/09/2003 2:57 PM

04/09/2003 11:15 PM

A little late but I have I have a copy of a miter program that is small and
it calculates the angles, lengths, and slope of different thickness wood for
any given number of sides. I can e-mail a copy to you if you like.



<BRuce> wrote in message news:1062711524.885746@sj-nntpcache-5...
> thanks for all the input. this will be much easier now. well it is off
> the garage to start the next project.
>
> BRuce
>
> BRuce wrote:
> > How does one caculate the diameter of a multi-sided ring. like a 5 - 8
> > sided ring to use as a landscape barrier around a tree.
> >
> > BRuce
> >
>
> --
> ---
>
> BRuce
>

RL

"Robin Lee"

in reply to BRuce on 04/09/2003 2:57 PM

04/09/2003 3:23 PM

Bruce -

Rules of thumb....

6-sided object:
8-sided object:
12-sided object:
16-sided object: Width = Diameter ÷ 1.7
Width = Diameter ÷ 2.4
Width = Diameter ÷ 3.7
Width = Diameter ÷ 5.0


Where width is width of stave....

So - for 24" diameter, 6 sides - width of stave is 24/1.7 = 14"

Or - if you want a 3' diameter, 8 staves....36/2.4 = 15"....

Cheers,

Rob

<BRuce> wrote in message news:1062701783.27367@sj-nntpcache-5...
> How does one caculate the diameter of a multi-sided ring. like a 5 - 8
> sided ring to use as a landscape barrier around a tree.
>
> BRuce
>


You’ve reached the end of replies