Link to a pdf file that you don't need an institutional login for.
I did an activity in a basic maths class based on this paper years ago. Each student had an A3 map of the main island of the UK. Some set their compasses to 5cm radius and counted the number of radii around the island. Others tried 2.5cm, and 1cm and half a cm. Worked ok, good lesson.
Re:How Long Is the Coast of Britain? (1967)
by _ache_ on Saturday February 28, 2026 @05:16PM
(#47200883)
Actually ... Not infinitely long. You wont have a precise value since each measure can be increased by taking a smaller "step" or "ruler", but it won't be infinite.
Re:How Long Is the Coast of Britain? (1967)
by 2b3a51 on Saturday February 28, 2026 @04:33PM
(#47200512)
There is a lot of coastline and not that many police/coastguards. In fact we have been closing down the coastguard stations since satellite tracking of commercial shipping became the norm.
(I come from a part of the UK that was notorious for smuggling, wrecking and other forms of piracy).
this is also why the GPS on your watch will reports different distances the more frequently it samples, ie. once per second vs once per every few seconds, think curves becoming diagonal lines
it's also why they measure official distances using a wheel on a stick
Link to a pdf file that you don't need an institutional login for.
I did an activity in a basic maths class based on this paper years ago. Each student had an A3 map of the main island of the UK. Some set their compasses to 5cm radius and counted the number of radii around the island. Others tried 2.5cm, and 1cm and half a cm. Worked ok, good lesson.
*presumably, but maybe not
(I come from a part of the UK that was notorious for smuggling, wrecking and other forms of piracy).
605 on 10 boats just 3 days ago...
FWIW it's a political problem, not a defence problem.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastline_paradox
where the sampling rate affects distance measured
this is also why the GPS on your watch will reports different distances the more frequently it samples, ie. once per second vs once per every few seconds, think curves becoming diagonal lines
it's also why they measure official distances using a wheel on a stick