[meteorite-list] Scale Cubes [WAS: Ad Announcing the "Count" cube Scale / Orientation cube]

[Michael Blood]

Hi Richard and list,
        Only the US, Burma and one other small country use the inches
And feet scale. The entire scientific community uses the metric scale.
1 CM cube is the only size I have ever seen - it would seem a Meter
Cube may be useful under some circumstance, but very few of the
World's meteorites would warrant such.
        Best wishes, Michael


On 3/15/10 1:32 AM, "Richard Kowalski" <damoclid at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Shawn, Matt,
> 
> If I'm not mistaken, the scale cube was invented specifically for the lunar
> samples brought back by the Apollo missions.
> 
> Obviously, the idea behind using a scale cube is just that, to show the scale
> of the object in the photograph.
> 
> I agree that for good scientific reasons, a scale cube in some metric
> measurement makes the most sense. A cubic centimeter is most common, but why
> not a cubic decimeter or a cubic meter, if those are appropriately sized for
> the object? I have no problem with any sized scale cube as long as the
> dimension is clearly marked and visible in the photograph. 1-cm, 1 inch, no
> matter. There is no "standard" so to speak. The key is to use something of the
> appropriate scale for the object being photographed...
> 
> I have no objection to using other objects too, again as long as they are
> easily identifiable. I might not know what the coin is, if one is being used
> for scale, but I immediately have a general idea how big is probably is. As
> long as I can unambiguously identify it in the photograph, that's all I need.
> If the image is poor and I can't determine exactly what coin it is, much less
> the country of origin, much of the value of using that coin for scale is lost.
> 
> Most car keys are about the same size and have been for a very long time...
> Put them next to your rocks. I'll have some idea how big they are.
> 
> Something that REALLY bothers me is something ambiguous, like dice. They all
> look the same and come in many different sizes. Even the standard ones have no
> markings that tell you they are standard size, or some other size. If you see
> them in a photograph, is it a standard die, a small one from a board game or
> is it a huge novelty die from a game show??
> 
> I can assume it is a standard die or close to it and get a general scale of
> the object. The same goes for the plastic 1-cm cubes you see in photos that
> have no scale marked on them. By the weight of the object you can guess the
> cube is 1-cm, but it's really a bad idea not to include the actual size of
> your scale on your scale object, no matter what size it is!
> 
> Cheers
> 
> --
> Richard Kowalski
> Full Moon Photography
> IMCA #1081
> 
> 
>       
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