Why A4? – The Mathematical Beauty of Paper Size

Re:Why A4? – The Mathematical Beauty of Paper Size by mathieuh on Monday September 05, 2022 @05:09AM (#32722085)

I was watching a guitar repair video on YouTube this morning and the luthier referred to the action of the guitar as being "five-and-a-half sixty-fourths". This blew my mind.

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Re:Why A4? – The Mathematical Beauty of Paper Size by checkyoursudo on Monday September 05, 2022 @05:17AM (#32722139)

Easier than saying "five sixty-fourths and one one-hundred-and-twenty-eighth"

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Re:Why A4? – The Mathematical Beauty of Paper Size by mkl on Monday September 05, 2022 @05:26AM (#32722215)

But not easier than eleven one-hundred-and-twenty-eighths, and definitely not easier than 2.2mm.

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Re:Why A4? – The Mathematical Beauty of Paper Size by midasuni on Monday September 05, 2022 @06:29AM (#32722693)

1/64th of an inch is less than half a milimetre. Does the average DIYer have that type of accuracy and precision?

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Re:Why A4? – The Mathematical Beauty of Paper Size by lstodd on Monday September 05, 2022 @09:32AM (#32724105)

Even a shitty chinese desktop planer can get you consistent 0.1mm precision if you perform requisite rituals.

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Re:Why A4? – The Mathematical Beauty of Paper Size by mkl on Monday September 05, 2022 @07:09AM (#32723006)

With calipers, sure. Even without precise measurements, we make size adjustments smaller than that when making a tight fit by sanding or whatever.

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Re:Why A4? – The Mathematical Beauty of Paper Size by pessimizer on Monday September 05, 2022 @05:31PM (#32729736)

I don't know how easy halving is genius when it comes to A4 paper, but somehow considered hopelessly convoluted when giving measurements in base 2.

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