I have this EZ track and I dont know what its radius is. I have enough of it to make a half circle. How do I find the radius?
Make the half circle. Measure the distance from end to end (center of track to center of track) and divide by two.
With EZ-track the radius is going to be 18" or 22".
An easier way to tell is to count how many pieces it takes to make the 1/2 circle. If it takes six pieces it is 18" radius. If it takes eight pieces then it is 22".
thanks
Actually, TZ, EZ-Track has produced longer radii, I believe up to 30", but 26" for sure.
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Wow, that is cool. I thought I checked the web site as I posted that message. I must have only checked a hobby store’s inventory and missedd them somehow. I see they have 15" radius now too and have beefed up their offering of turnouts to match!
Sorry! but I don’t believe this question!!!
rtpoteet
Some makes of track (don’t know about EZ track) have the radius stamped or cast in the bottom.
Enjoy
Paul
I have been trying to bite my tongue on this for as long as it has been posted and I really have great difficulty with the number of times this question is asked. I was in a thrid grade classroom last week that had the formula on the wall so how come a lot of people are so poor in math? I just don’t get it.
ndbprr:
This forum is for the dissemination of information. I agree that this question is basic, but the idea is to help answer questions that anyone might have, no matter how elementary they might seem. MRR’s come to these forums with a variety of backgound knowledge and experience in the hobby. I’d recc. that if the particular thread bothers you, then just leave it.
By the way, this is the first negative thread of any sort that I’ve posted, maybe it will cancel the last one out!
Jim
Good for you, Jim. Somebody had to tell him.
Jailbreaker, make the half-circle, take a piece of string that is at least 30" long, and hold one end, at the very end, toward the centre of the “circle”. It might help to draw a straight line between the ends of the section, or arc, to help find the centre of the circle. Then, keeping the gripped end, lay the string over the arc of track, and grasp it where the centreline of the track is. Now swing that part that you just grasped right and left over the arc and see if it stays centred. If not, adjust your grasp point on the string, and slip the pivot point inward or outward until the point of the string that you have grasped over the track centreline stays there as you swing it back and forth. Place your hands apart on a ruler of sufficient length that the straightened string between them will allow you to read off the radius.
Sorry but my post was not an attack of the individual. My post was questioning the lack of basic math skills in general and a legitimate question. If that offends you too bad. It is still true that the question gets asked at least once a month. It is also true that anyone beyond third grade should have the math skill necessary to find the radius of a circle.
Back to stamps!!!
Now hold out your tongue and say “ah-h-h-h-h-h.”
Why the apology…?! If you did not intend to offend, then you needn’t apologize, unless you perceive that you did possibly cause offense, in which case the decent thing to do would be to apologize.
As your the gist of your last remark, we can’t all be as intellectually endowed, nor as educated, as you.
Some help, some insult.
My sorry was not an apology it was intended as, “sorry to disagree with you”. As far as being as educated it is still math being taught in the third grade. That doesn’t make a rocket scientist. It does mean I have at least a third grade education.
I don’t know… I’m trying to think of when I learned (officially) about radii in math class. I knew this in 3rd grade but it was because of model railroading with my 15", 18", 22" sectional track not because of school. I think I was learning multiplication in 3rd grade, division in 4th, I don’t remember 5th and then in 6th grade they sprung the “new math” on us and I was doing set theory… Now you have got me wondering and I’m going to have to go check the text books. Other than identifying circles and spheres from squares and cones, there is no mention of circles at this site until the 7th grade:http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_3rd_math.htm
I think it just shows that Model Railroading is a very educational hobby. I knew all sorts of things my fellow students didn’t (like AC, DC, ohms law) way before they were taught in school. Upon reflection, one could probably teach all elments of grade school education using model railroads. That would be something wouldn’t it. Each year in school the students build a progressively more complex model railroad. Then they could play with it all summer before starting over at the next grade level.
I am more concerned about peoples’ lack of English skills and mostly not only the lack of skill itself but the lack of any concern that they can’t communicate effectively. It is like this set of people don’t that it takes other people’s time trying figure out what they are saying. When they ask why no one responded to their message and others tell them, “because of poor spelling and English”, they get mad. <<-- How’s that for a poorly formed sentence! It is like there is no concern for self improvement anymore. No la
ndbprr:
Actually my daughter is about to finish 8th grade and is completing Algebra I. Next year (freshman–high school) she’ll be in honors geometry.
Wow, you had geometry in third grade! Impressive school, or maybe we’re just a little backwards here in Ohio.:
Jim
It really doesn’t matter when it was covered in school. Someone asked a question and one of the responses was insulting instead of helpful.
Enjoy
Paul
Forget the apology. What is the formula.
Many thanks