Pretty geeky but.... - Clubhouse

Virfish

15/02/2013 at 10:21

I am a massive geek so found this an intersting little fact. Maybe work these conversions out in your head on a long run if you need to take your mind of the pain for a bit. Although there are prob better things to think about.

http://www.catonmat.net/blog/using-fibonacci-numbers-to-convert-from-miles-to-kilometers/

David Falconer 3

15/02/2013 at 10:32

Can I ask a dumb question.

What if you dont know your Fibonacci numbers???

PhilPub

15/02/2013 at 10:37

Hmmm.. sort of interesting (and it probably has occurred to me at one point or another), but essentially just a way of pointing out that the "Golden ratio" 1.618 is quite close to the ratio of Km: Miles, 1.609.

What I find useful is simply remembering one or two close approximations (some of which do indeed occur in the Fibonacci sequence) and using these for any calculations, e.g.

5 miles = 8 km
6.2 miles = 10 km
10 miles = 16 km,
...so 26 miles = 10M+10M+6M = 16 + 16 + 10 = 42 km

David Falconer 3

15/02/2013 at 10:43

Oh god, Im having flashbacks to school now....... I must avoid this thread.

Virfish

15/02/2013 at 10:46

yeah it is a total coincidence, but you can tell your friends in the pub if you want to really bore them

Fibonacci number is any number in a fibonacci sequence which is

0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21

where the next number in the sequence is the sum of the 2 previous.

AgentGinger

15/02/2013 at 12:09

5/8ths is a close enough approximation for me, and it's pretty quick to calculate. I hadn't thought of this being close to the Golden ratio before though, so that's kind of interesting, i guess.

Ja5onW

15/02/2013 at 12:34

zzzzzzzz

RicF

15/02/2013 at 12:49

The number to remember is

0.6214

Km to miles you multply by.

Miles to Km you divide by.

David Falconer 3

15/02/2013 at 12:55

RicF wrote (see)

The number to remember is

0.6214

Km to miles you multply by.

Miles to Km you divide by.

Hahaa, are you taking the P..s ric ......... so you're running along in a marathon, you're knackered ....... its the 18 mile mark, and you're thinking to yourself .... ok 8.2 divided by 0.6214 is....... yeah right ......... lets be sensible yeah?

Wilkie

15/02/2013 at 13:22

David Falconer 3 wrote (see)

RicF wrote (see)

The number to remember is

0.6214

Km to miles you multply by.

Miles to Km you divide by.

Hahaa, are you taking the P..s ric ......... so you're running along in a marathon, you're knackered ....... its the 18 mile mark, and you're thinking to yourself .... ok 8.2 divided by 0.6214 is....... yeah right ......... lets be sensible yeah?

That particular mental calculation would probably be beyond me, but I sometimes distract myself by counting backwards from a very high number, in sevens.

The other way to convert miles/kilometers which is more manageable in your head is to multiply by eight and divide by five, or vice versa. Not completely precise, but pretty close.

Edited: 15/02/2013 at 13:23