question-of-the-day answered

[Doug Hathaway]

On Wed, 6 Oct 1999, Kurt Cockrum wrote:

> Rich said:
> >Solution needed.
> >
> >If I have a styrofoam ball one foot in diameter, how can I find the
> >precise location of the opposing poles?
(snip)
	If you don't mind paint on the ball, I bet this would work:
	You need paint, a thin brush, and a trashbag or tarp, laid flat on
the ground.
	Paint a thin line of paint on the tarp.  Roll the ball along it.
The ball will have a circle painted on it.
	Now paint another line (or use the same one, if paint's still
wet).  Roll the ball along the line again, but this time start it out so
that the second circle is not painted right over the first.
	You will have 2 circles painted around the ball.  They would be
called "Great Circles" on a globe, because they are the circumference of
the ball at its widest diameter (eg, the Equator, all the longitude
lines).  The 2 points where the circles cross will be 180 degrees from
each other, regardless of the angle between the circles.
	If you use white paint, no one will notice once it dries.

						--Doug 


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