19 Jan
2007
19 Jan
'07
2:30 p.m.
When we teach people how to use cartesian coordinates, we tell them to move x units along the x axis, y units up the y axis, and then take the intersection of the perpendiculars. The other day it occurred to me to wonder what would happen if instead, we drew a line from (x,0) to (0,y) and called the midpoint our destination.
I certainly miss something important here... The midpoint is (x/2, y/2), isn't it? So an alternative to the intersection of the perpendiculars would be the midpoint of (2x,0) and (0,2y). So now flame me...