Ptolemys' Ptools

Star Fleet Academy© "Trek-Ruler" :

Go where no kid has gone before in geometry!

Star Fleet Emblem

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Using the Star Fleet Academy game©, find the sizes of ships, space stations, stars, etc. by following the steps here. Use the "Scale Reference" below to get started or you can start with objects that others have scaled. In order to help us in our web page competition and pass your findings on to other game enthusiasts, PLEASE send your findings to us on our DATA RESPONSE FORM.

We will post your data (and first name) for others to use for reference points to collect more data.

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The Plan;

 

Star Fleet lounge

The Software:

You need to have the Star Fleet Academy game to do this one, but it can work just as well on ANY 3D game. You just have to decide on a scale reference point and go from there.

Scale Reference:  
Game Object "Real" size
space station 743 km
manual targeting sight always remains at 2 degrees for inner circle and 4 degrees for outer points

The space station looks like this from a distance:view of space station far

When you are 4214 km away from it looks like this:view of space station near

  Collecting the Data:


(1) Place a piece of paper up to your computer's screen while the game is running with the station in view.
alien shipMeasure the height of the space station on your computer screen (see red line in picture) at a distance of about 4214 km (this works out to 10 degrees).
(The distance can be found in the upper left corner of your screen)
federation ship Mark its height on the paper.


(2) Scale your Trek-Ruler to your system; Get your TREK RULER
alien ship Transfer this measurement onto the Trek-Ruler, using one mark for the ZERO point on the scale and the other for the 10° mark.
federation ship Mark the midway point between 0 and 10 for 5 degrees.
alien ship Mark thmidway point between 0 and 5 for 2.5 degrees.
federation ship Mark double the length from 0 to 10 for 20 degrees.


(3)Measure the angle (in degrees) of an object and record it on the data sheet


(4)Look up the tangent ratio for that angle


(5)Divide the object's known size by the tangent ratio to get the DISTANCE from the object.
OR
Multiply the object's known distance by the tangent ratio to get the SIZE of the object (width, height or diameter).

redalert Reporting back to Headquarters:
(6)Record and submit the results on the data sheet.
Tangent Angle Tangent Ratio
2.5° 0.0437
5° 0.0875
10° 0.1763
15° 0.2679
20° 0.3640

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How it works;Using the Properties of Triangles

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Star Fleet Emblem

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Star Trek graphics and screen shots used with permission of Interplay - Copyrights and Trademarks; Starfleet Academy Software copyright © 1997 Interplay Productions. Trademark and copyright 1996. Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved. Star Trek, Starfleet Academy and related trademarks are trademarks of Paramount Pictures.

(last updated 8/31/98)