The center of a river is about as smooth as you can get.
Why would you measure a boundary line around a grain of sand? Theoretically,
this discussion could get into such things, but practically, the line would
go right across the top of that grain, or boulder, or rock, not around it.
-----Original Message-----
From: Brian J. Butler [mailto:
bjbutler@...]
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2003 3:44 PM
To:
BoundaryPoint@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [BoundaryPoint] Re: American State Boundaries
On Wednesday 16 April 2003 05:12 pm, you wrote:
You are not on the right wavelength yet. The natural boundaries you
enumerated are not smooth curves that can be measured in the traditional
sense. I agree that you can determine a minimum length of these boundaries
by interpolating between fixed points on the boundary. But the true length
of the boundary depends on how small your samples are. For example, you
would have a longer measurement if you measured around each rock along the
riverbank, or each grain of sand. So you are doubly correct - your estimate
could be off by a great margin, an infinite margin perhaps, and the minimum
length of the OK-TX boundary is longer than the CA-NV boundary. I don't
think you can make the statement that the OK-TX boundary is longer than the
VA-WV boundary, though, for example, because it depends on how irregular the
boundaries are and how carefully you measure them.
BJB
> Well, *anything* has a length depending on how you measure it. But most US
> state boundaries have specific definitions that are actual places on the
> ground, whether it's mean highwater, center of channel. top of the ridge,
> etc. E.g., the Kentucky boundary along the Ohio River is the waterline on
> the northern bank, so KY controls the river. The definition IIRC was fixed
> in time so that it doesn't change as the Ohio rises or falls or carves new
> segments of the channel.
>
> Anyway, I am still curious if there is a place to ascertain the actual
> length of the OK-TX boundary? I estikated it as somewhere around 800
miles,
> while CA-NV was just over 600 miles. My estimates could be off by a great
> margin, but I don't think they are off so much as to change the ranking.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Brian J. Butler [mailto:bjbutler@...]
> Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2003 12:12 PM
> To: BoundaryPoint@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [BoundaryPoint] Re: American State Boundaries
>
>
> On Wednesday 16 April 2003 01:18 pm, you wrote:
> A natural boundary, such as a river, has a length that depends on how
> closely
> you measure it.
> BJB
>
> > But CA-NV wouldn't be the longest border between two states, straight or
> > not. The OK-TX border for a good distance is the meandering Red River.
> > There's no basis to say that doesn't count as distance and that one
> > should draw an imaginary "straight" line instead to cut the corners. The
> > boundary is the boundary line itself.
> >
> > What is the length of the CA-NV boundary and the OK-TX boundary?
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Brian J. Butler [mailto:bjbutler@...]
> > Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2003 9:39 AM
> > To: BoundaryPoint@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: Re: [BoundaryPoint] Re: American State Boundaries
> >
> >
> > On Wednesday 16 April 2003 11:19 am, you wrote:
> > CANV is certainly the straight-line champ. If we "go fractal" maybe
> > ID-MT, OK-TX, or even VA-WV would take the cake.
> > BJB
> >
> > > nice question & nice answer
> > >
> > > how about canv for longest
> > >
> > > --- In BoundaryPoint@yahoogroups.com, Brian J. Butler
> > >
> > > <bjbutler@b...> wrote:
> > > > On Wednesday 16 April 2003 09:50 am, you wrote:
> > > > The shortest is easy - at AZ-CO-NM-UT there are two pairs of
> > >
> > > states that meet
> > >
> > > > at a point.
> > > > BJB
> > > >
> > > > > Which state shares the longest border with another state?
> > >
> > > (The border
> > >
> > > > > does not have to be continuous.) Which state shares the
> > >
> > > shortest?
> > >
> > > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
> > >
> > > http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
> > >
> > > > --
> > > > Brian J. Butler
> > > > BJB Software, Inc.
> > > > 508-429-1441
> > > > bjbutler@b...
> > > > http://www.bjbsoftware.com
> > >
> > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
>
> http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
--
Brian J. Butler
BJB Software, Inc.
508-429-1441
bjbutler@...
http://www.bjbsoftware.com
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/