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

[Impactika at aol.com]

Richard and all,
 
I believe that one of the original uses was archaeology.
When an archaeologist would find an artifact he wanted to take pictures 
from all sides before digging out. So let's say it was a pot in a grave, he 
would shot the north/south/east/west sides of the pot, turning the cube every 
time so in later studies in a lab they would be able to recreate the tomb and 
the exact position of each object. So it was not only for size but also for 
exact angle/position of each artifact by itself and also in relation to all 
the others. 

And I agree that a scale cube should show clearly what the scale is. Less 
than honest sellers (on Ebay, for instance!) could be tempted to use one for 
the other. Another reason why I don't believe we should use any coin or key, 
or....etc. Yes, we in the US know that a dime is 18 mm across, but we 
should not expect someone on the other side of the globe to know that.

Just my 2mm.
 
Anne M. Black
_http://www.impactika.com/_ (http://www.impactika.com/) 
_IMPACTIKA at aol.com_ (mailto:IMPACTIKA at aol.com) 
Vice-President, I.M.C.A. Inc.
_http://www.imca.cc/_ (http://www.imca.cc/) 


In a message dated 3/15/2010 2:32:37 AM Mountain Daylight Time, 
damoclid at yahoo.com writes:
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...