Re: [Phys-l] Graphing algebraic equations

[Brian Whatcott <betwys1@sbcglobal.net>]

John Clement wrote:
> Notice that they also have students measure data on maps.  This is serious
> pedagogy designed to help students with measurements.  They have to deal
> with maps that have scales. /snip/
> John M. Clement
> Houston, TX
>   
Which reminds me - as as an anti-drug (?) measure, it was decided some 
years ago
that paper pilot certificates were insecure, and that they would be 
upgraded to a
plastic version, so that the paper pilot license would expire at the 
end of this month.

For the majority of domestic pilots, this was not onerous - and could be 
done on line.
For people like me who received an FAA license on the basis of a UK license
many years ago - the online application did not apply - rather a CAA 
validation
to the FAA was needed, who would in the fullness of time, grant.... 
I am sure you see the difficulty in expecting two National safety 
bureaucracies
to work smoothly and swiftly together, when I belatedly became aware of 
the need.

So, in quiet desperation as this month dawned on the prospective 
grounding of my plane,
I went to plan B - fly an FAA license from scratch.    And here, finally,
I get to the point.

An FAA delegate, & Pilot Examiner, Mary Latimer,  was available within  
30 miles,
who could advise me on what to do.     And among the useful memory aids, 
acronyms etc.
that she passed on,  she demonstrated that an unexpected diversion could 
make use
of a handy distance scale, always available in the form of a  finger to 
thumb span
on a sectional chart (scaled 8 SM = 1 in)  which provides a reasonable 
60 NM measure
for both men and women, easily checked between adjacent degree lines of 
lat.

Brian W