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From: krichard@zaphod.axion.bt.co.uk (Keith Richards)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: Surface Area
Message-ID: <1475@zaphod.axion.bt.co.uk>
Date: 3 May 89 09:24:50 GMT
References: <39400016@m.cs.uiuc.edu>
Sender: news@axion.bt.co.uk
Reply-To: krichard@zaphod.axion.bt.co.uk
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From article <39400016@m.cs.uiuc.edu>, by render@m.cs.uiuc.edu:
> 
> Written  1:16 am  Apr 30, 1989 by shan@unc.cs.unc.edu:
>> Can anyone give or point me to a precise definition of "Surface
>> Area?"  Is there a system that allows me to compute the value of the
>> surface area?
> 
> Seriously?  A surface is the outside of an object or body; its area is the 
> amount of surface measured in two-dimensions.  Take a look at any decent 
> integral calculus book for basic formulas for calculating surface area. 

A more relevant use of the phrase (considering the newsgroup) is that
of Brad Cox in his `Object Oriented Programming' book for Addison
Wesley.  I think the term is used loosely and is meant to illustrate
the concept by analogy, but an imprecise definition is given as, "the
number of things that must be understood and properly dealt with for one
programmer's code to function correctly in combination with another's"

I haven't seen the expression used elsewhere in this context though.


---
Keith Richards  |  RT3111, BT Research Labs, Martlesham Heath, IP5 7RE, UK.
+44 473 642473  |  krichards@axion.bt.co.uk  (...mcvax!ukc!axion!krichards)