Re: Wind Directions?


"W. Watson" <wolf_tracks@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:ksJlf.536$n1.343@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Dirk Van de moortel wrote:
>
> > "W. Watson" <wolf_tracks@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:5vFlf.507$Tg2.468@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >
> >>The offical wind directions around the compass clockwise are:
> >>
> >>North - North North East - North East - East North East - East
> >>
> >>East - East South East - South East - South South East - South
> >>
> >>South South West - South West - West South West - West
> >>
> >>West North West - North West - North North West - North
> >>
> >>Is there actually some order to this nomeclature?
> >>--
> >> Wayne T. Watson (Watson Adventures, Prop., Nevada City, CA)
> >> (121.015 Deg. W, 39.262 Deg. N) GMT-8 hr std. time)
> >> Obz Site: 39° 15' 7" N, 121° 2' 32" W, 2700 feet
> >>
> >> Web Page: <home.earthlink.net/~mtnviews>
> >
> >
> > Yes.
> > Start with one letter N, E, S, W.
> >
> > Half way between any of them is denoted with two letters,
> > but N or S are always taken first. So you get NE, NW, SE, SW
> >
> > Halfway between a one letter X and a two letter YZ, you always
> > start twith the one letter.
> > So you get (making sure you don't write he impossible ones):
> > N-NE, N-NW,
> > E-NE, E-SE,
> > S-SE, S-SW
> > W-NW, W-SE
> >
> > You can go on if you like now. Always write the shortest
> > before the longest. Examples: SEESEESESEESE.
> > See if you can find what it means ;-)
> >
> > Dirk Vdm
> >
> >
> It seems like a weird rule in that N and S take precedence. I wonder if
> there are other ways of designating these directions. Perhaps in S. America
> or Asia, they do it differently? Probably not. I find it odd that very
> seldom, as in close to never, does anyone bother to state the rule. I have a
> book titled Compass by Aczel and he doesn't give a clue. I guess someone
> decided on the rule millennia ago, and everyone has just gone with it.

Actually I had never heard or seen the rule. When I saw
your question, I thought about it for a while, and distilled
the rule from your list of examples. Then I checked
whether it also works when you continue and 'go deeper'.
And it does. When you get a string like the one I gave as
an example, you can unravel it and find what it means, so
it's a good rule. The mathematical proof can't be hard.

By the way, this is how we find the laws of physics, so
the question was not entirely off-topic :-)

Now you ask why is the rule this way? Why precendence
to North and South?
Perhaps it is because North and South are -in a way- more
'important' than East and West. Can you find in which way?

Dirk Vdm


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