FRC Blog - Something New - Team 'Standards'

[MrBasse]

I guess the issue comes down to the fact that the language says what I said before. It specifies diameter so I read that as required to be round. But what harm would be caused by a square horizontal support?

[Lil' Lavery]

While diameter is most frequently associated with circles, it is not exclusive to circles.

[MrBasse]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

While diameter is most frequently associated with circles, it is not exclusive to circles.

Never heard any application other than circle, this is straight out of my Drafting text:

A straight line going through the center of a circle connecting two points on the circumference.

What other applications have you used?

[Richard Wallace]

Diameter can be applied to shapes that are not round.

Here is an interesting read on the subject.

Diameter, more generally, is the shortest distance between two parallel lines that touch the figure being measured. For figures that are not round, diameter can vary with orientation; major diameter and minor diameter correspond the orientations that give the maximum and minimum measurements, respectively.

[MrBasse]

Originally Posted by Richard Wallace

Diameter can be applied to shapes that are not round.

Here is an interesting read on the subject.

Diameter, more generally, is the shortest distance between two parallel lines that touch the figure being measured. For figures that are not round, diameter can vary with orientation; major diameter and minor diameter correspond the orientations that give the maximum and minimum measurements, respectively.

I've always taught major and minor diameter in reference to ellipses, but the diameter part comes from the construction method of the ellipse, not the end shape. I haven't heard the parallel lines definition before. I might need to read that book to learn some new tricks.

[Richard Wallace]

The UK 50p coin is a famous example of a constant diameter figure that is obviously not round. It fills the space between two parallel lines 27.3 mm apart regardless of orientation.

[oliverchuckle]

Originally Posted by MrBasse

I guess the issue comes down to the fact that the language says what I said before. It specifies diameter so I read that as required to be round. But what harm would be caused by a square horizontal support?

The main problem with a square is that i believe that the component that you use to attach the flag rod to the top of the drivers' station is actually a round hole. Making a square might cause the rod not to fit :/

You could however find some way to narrow it down so it could fit the hole, but even then theres a chance it won't fit too well.