[moped rider]

All this talk of track flexibility in the banking thread reminds me of something.

Would somebody like to guess the minimum quantity of Scalextric SPORT straights that are required to be linked together in one length to enable a 360 degree circular working circuit if you wished to design a complete circuit using just straight track?

Scalextric had to do this excercise on their factory floor when creating the algorithm for the RMS and SPORT World circuit design link up functions. The software design team asked the question so the top men and ladies at Hornby strut their stuff and built the circuit on the factory floor!

Moped

 

[astro]

gr8 piece of trivia ! love it!

my guesses - i reckon 2 degrees per piece would be bareable, so 180, tho i reckon there would still be electrical contact at 4 degrees, so maybe 100 is the absolute minimum, but i wouldn't think it would be a reliable circuit.

 

[Coopdevil]

I guess Moped knows (or can find out) so, in the spirit of those "Guess the Weight of the Jar of Sweets" contests at parish fayres lets all have a go and see who is closest!

Coop's guess - 240

Coop

 

[Fergy]

Okay.... why not!

Let's see.... has to be more than one and less than one more than they had..... so.....

680?

(Anyone notice the repeated edits?)

I suspect the pieces they used will show up on eBay advertised as "rare, with traces of genuine factory floor dust!"

 

[astro]

good point fergy, will search ebay for 'set of ??? straights, only used once, slightly bent connecting pins'!

by the way? do we get a prize if we guess right?

 

[moped rider]

Its just a bit of fun and it happened a few years back.

You don't think that I would be silly enough to mention it if it only happened yesterday! Ebay is not going to be flooded with straight SPORT track as has been intimated so sorry if I have built up the hopes of those who are looking for a largish quantity of straight track! Best to contact your local retailer and talk about a discount for the sort of quantity we are talking about!

And some of you should try this at home with say 10 straights. The figures mentioned so far need to be re-examined to say the least!

Moped

 

[Tropi]

Do keep going - this could be fun.

But the usual Tropi note of realism, which you are all welcome to ignore and probably will . . . if I were not I , I probably would too!
Come to think of it, even I ignore me sometimes!

OK, here it is - whatever number you think of is probably wrong in the tricky sense that, if the exercise were repeated (by someone who did NOT already know the first figure), it could be almost guaranteed that it would produce a different number on subsequent occasions.
So don't place any big money bets with Mop!

 

[Fergy]

Hmmm..... now how big is the factory?

Sorry, Tropi, did you say something???

 

[astro]

10 straights... hmmm

is this 360 degrees a flat 360 degrees, or might it be a loop-the-loop 360?

 

[Tropi]

Tropi?
Who he?

Several reflexive remarks still up my sleeve but I'll save them and hope someone else, equally obtuse, saves ME from having to make all the acute cracks!

The concept is actually fascinating and I can see the need to know in a very practical sense. I suspect Fergy's barely perceptible and skilfully camouflaged edit may be closer than anything else . . . so far

 

[andy]

980

 

[Intergrali]

if mine wont join I just make it!

if anyone has the chance tomorrow take a good look down the main straight at roofline level.

Inte

 

[Fergy]

I'll put that on my calendar!

 

[McLaren]

QUOTE sorry if I have built up the hopes of those who are looking for a largish quantity of straight track!

'Cos it won't be straight!

Hem, hem... I'll get my coat...

Lotus

PS. 4263. It's a big factory.

PPS. It would be simple to work out. Just make a 360th or a circle, and mulitply the number by 360, duh...

 

[Fergy]

So... yer answer is..... ?????

 

[moped rider]

Yes it has to be flat. None of this wall of death stuff!

We seem to be going from one extreme to the other with the answers

A clue.

The answer is somewhere in the middle.

Moped

 

[LMP]

360.00

 

[Intergrali]

190

 

[Flash]

What is... 180???

 

[astro]

500? go on tell us!