China's Largest Bank switches to Linux servers... 15375

Mark Kent

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Nah, datz just the zider...

Although as a Mathematician I realise percentages are a valid method of measuring gradients, however, when it comes to visualisation, trying to visualise (or draw) a 1:5 gradient, or a 1:15 gradient is dead easy - try drawing a 20% gradient, or a 7% gradient without converting to a 1:x gradient. Besides, what is a gradient of 100%? (A 45 degree slope, 1:1). Then thinking about a 13% gradient means 13% of a 45 degree slope - 1:8 is much easier to understand.

I was taught when metric was coming in (I remember decimalisation in 1971 and thought the new currency with 100p = £1 as opposed 12d = 1s, 20s = £1 was much simplier and easier...how wrong I was - how many divisors of £1 are exact p, and how many were exact d!) and had a visualisation problem with lengths: upto 30cm or 12", I worked with mm & cm and could understand visualise the lengths easily; inches (per se) meant nothing to me. Then for lengths over 30cm-12" I switched to feet+inches, yards, miles - metres & Kms meant nothing to me. I've now switched totally: I can't understand mms, cms, ms & kms (at all well) - I work totally in inches, feet, yards & miles.