Math challenge

Title: Message

Walter.....

 

We've had some deliberations on the CBOG CCI testing committee on questions involving leaders ..... specifically the, "X" system of classification and the, "rule of elevens", the, "rule of nines", and the, "rule of three's or fours", etc.

 

Dan McCrimmon who is head of our international committee, has pointed out that the use of multiple systems of tippet measurement has caused problems as we test candidates from other countries most of whom have no idea of the use of our, "x" system.

 

It has always seemed to  me that this, "X" system may not be a really good one to hold on to for any reason than tradition. I've read that this was an arbitrary system developed by the Chinese for determining diameter of material by pulling silk worm gut through little holes.

 

We salt water fly casters, gave up this system many years ago for various reasons one of which was that we usually used tippet materials of greater diameter than 0 X .  Seemed almost as archaic to many of us as the measurement of horses in, "hands" and the weights of men in, "stones" as done in the U.K.

 

As we talk with folks in the U.K. and Europe as well as countries in the Orient, we find that few of them even know what it is .... and don't use it.

 

Even though I don't have a math background, I have felt for years that the most logical of the various systems of measurement involves math to the base ten, ie. the metric system. (As you know, we use it all the time in medicine.)

 

As a math expert, may I call upon you to come up with a translation table which converts, "X" size to inches ("rule of elevens") and, then, to millimeters ...... and see if there could be a general, "rule" to convert to millimeters ??

 

I'd, also, like to see a simple table comparing leader breaking strengths at present usually expressed in POUNDS converted to KG.

 

Then we could have a series of discussions on this subject for our Group.

 

Best,

 

Gordy

 

 

Gordon E. Hill, M.D.

2175 Coral Way

Big Pine Key, FL   33043

TEL (305) 872-2106

hillshead@xxxxxxxxxxx