On Thursday, December 8, 2016 at 3:12:14 PM UTC-5, John Harmon wrote:
actually said:

0.01deg ?? I don't think so...


You are well-and-truly an idiot!

The measuring device must be accurate to one one-hundredth of a degree, or two decimal places. The measurement itself will be far less sensitive than that, probably to a single degree, no more. But if I am staring (for instance) at 90 degrees and want to get to 89.75 degrees - hence the need for that level of accuracy.

Azimuth on the typical smart-phone (how accurate is it a measuring off the vertical) is typically somewhere between 8 (at best) and 15 degrees - and that only if it has a screen-orientation function. Many do not. And many more have only a 90-degree function and only in one direction.

Put another way, the phone is smart enough not to even attempt the process. The idiot owner who insists that it is possible - with the right app/software - deserves exactly what he gets.

Minutes are a circular unit-of-measure. Not a linear unit. So, "inches" will be measured at some point on a diameter as compared to another point along that diameter using a fixed radius. If 'vertical' minutes, one endpoint of that radius will be the center of the earth. If other than vertical, the determining endpoint will be something hopefully more nearby such as the axle or some specified point. And the diameter on which the distance is measured will be specified.

But, minutes do not convert to inches other than the chord defined by the starting point and the end point of the measured distance along the total arc.

False premises lead to false conclusions. I am calling you an idiot as you seem congenitally unable to understand the most basic geometry - previously most basic physics - yet insist on some sort of false precision to draw others into your idiocy as an actual problem. It isn't. Otherwise, you are a simple (very simple) troll. Yeah, I am responding - in the same way that our grandkids enjoy Wack-A-Mole at the penny arcade. You will probably never go away, but well-turned invective can be enjoyable, even if against a helpless target.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA