Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!udel!brahms.udel.edu!jmehl From: jmehl@chopin.udel.edu (James Mehl) Newsgroups: comp.text.tex Subject: Re: a4.sty & article.sty Message-ID: <17263@chopin.udel.edu> Date: 10 Jun 91 18:17:00 GMT References: <1991Jun9.071930.13955@monu1.cc.monash.edu.au> <1991Jun10.161754.27284@unibi.uni-bielefeld.de> Organization: University of Delaware Lines: 22 In article <1991Jun10.161754.27284@unibi.uni-bielefeld.de> horst@techfak.uni-bielefeld.de (Horst Hogenkamp) writes: >Summary: > A0 - 1189 mm x 841 mm > B0 - 1414 mm x 1000 mm > >Requested: > C0 - 1297 mm x 917 mm > >Question: > A0 is one square meter. > In B0 1.414 is SQRT(2). > But where is C0 derived from? $1.297 \times 0.917 \approx 1.893 \approx 2^{.25}$! Possible explanation: The Cn sizes were chosen so the new dimensions would be interleaved within the Bn sizes, maintaining uniform spacing on a logarithmic scale. My understanding of these systems is that the aspect ratio of a piece of paper is maintained as the paper is sequentially folded in half. Eventually a sufficient number of folds will result in a piece of paper which will fit an envelope with the same aspect ratio. Perhaps the Cn series works out better in practice than the Bn series.