http://www.perlmonks.org?node_id=890718

Vote on this poll

Pen(cil)
[bar] 37/7%
Coin
[bar] 149/27%
Ruler
[bar] 213/38%
Credit card
[bar] 45/8%
CD
[bar] 24/4%
Floppy disk
[bar] 11/2%
Door key
[bar] 7/1%
Keyboard
[bar] 6/1%
Thimble
[bar] 8/1%
Drinking glass
[bar] 9/2%
Human hand or finger
[bar] 47/8%
556 total votes
Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: The best object to provide scale on a photo showing a small object is:
by apl (Monsignor) on Mar 01, 2011 at 11:17 UTC
    Hydrogen atom ...
        I didn't see where small was defined, either. 8-)
Re: The best object to provide scale on a photo showing a small object is:
by BrowserUk (Patriarch) on Mar 01, 2011 at 11:34 UTC

    Hm. Pencil, coin, ruler, credit card.

    A CD seems a good choice :)


    Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.
    "Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority".
    In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice.

      A ruler would be shown in such a way that you see the markings, so the actual length of the ruler is irrelevant. There's still the problem that the markings could be in centimiters or inches. You can usually decide which it is from the number of subdivisions, but not always. Cds are good for the same reason: even though there are cds of smaller size than the normal, the hole is always the same.

Re: The best object to provide scale on a photo showing a small object is:
by Ratazong (Monsignor) on Mar 01, 2011 at 11:50 UTC

    The strangest choice is (imho) Floppy Disk. That is so last century!

    If we want to prove that we know history, we should use punch cards instead - or the Rosetta stone ;-)

      Agreed... and whether to use an 8" floppy or a 5-1/4" floppy would be impossible to decide.
      Ummm, thimbles were found in the ruins of Pompeii. No floppies, as far as I know, but I *think* they found a cassette in what was left of a tape-deck attached to a Radio-Shack TRS-80...

      fnord

Re: The best object to provide scale on a photo showing a small object is:
by moritz (Cardinal) on Mar 01, 2011 at 19:48 UTC
Re: The best object to provide scale on a photo showing a small object is:
by mertserger (Curate) on Mar 02, 2011 at 13:22 UTC
    I used to help out on an archaeological dig and they always used a ruler to show scale.
      But that's purely functional. The OP doesn't specify how the photo would be used, so going for something that can cover both functional and artistic goals makes more sense.

      Elda Taluta; Sarks Sark; Ark Arks

        So now we have to define both small AND best?

        -- Time flies when you don't know what you're doing
      The digs I have been on use a surveyer's ranging pole (red/white bands), which seems to be fairly standard. But it depends on what "small" is: a ranging pole would be no good to show the size of a coin, but a ruler would not be useful to show the size of a small building. Size matters.
Re: The best object to provide scale on a photo showing a small object is:
by pajout (Curate) on Mar 02, 2011 at 12:11 UTC
    matchbox
Re: The best object to provide scale on a photo showing a small object is:
by Voronich (Hermit) on Mar 01, 2011 at 20:50 UTC

    (No "Other" option. --)

    Shotglass

Re: The best object to provide scale on a photo showing a small object is:
by KevinZwack (Chaplain) on Mar 10, 2011 at 19:07 UTC
    I'm surprised that a pearl isn't among the choices...
Re: The best object to provide scale on a photo showing a small object is:
by syphilis (Archbishop) on Mar 06, 2011 at 10:56 UTC
    Naturally enough, I've voted for the first option (penicillin).

    Cheers,
    Rob

      But why? We don't want to get rid of you. :-)

      Regards,

      John Davies

Re: The best object to provide scale on a photo showing a small object is:
by hok_si_la (Curate) on Mar 14, 2011 at 21:19 UTC
    I like to use an elephant.
Re: The best object to provide scale on a photo showing a small object is:
by stonecolddevin (Parson) on Mar 01, 2011 at 21:33 UTC

    This is the worst poll ever.

    mtfnpy

      I don't know if it's the worst poll ever, but given the options, the coin, being the most versatile, should be the obvious winner. The poll seems stacked heavily in it's favor.

      Elda Taluta; Sarks Sark; Ark Arks

        the coin, being the most versatile, is should be the obvious winner.

        Which coin would you use?


        Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.
        "Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority".
        In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice.
      It is probably the most boring (sorry to whoever devised it but .......)
Re: The best object to provide scale on a photo showing a small object is:
by ChuckularOne (Prior) on Mar 01, 2011 at 13:49 UTC
    The universal scale is the iPhone. Turn it on and set the item on top. Everyone in the (civilized) world will grasp the scale. ;-)

      Unless they confuse it for an iPad which would throw their perception of scale :P

        Hmmmm.... Hadn't thought of that!
      4 downvotes on this? really? I guess the droid phone users are out in force... :)

      fnord

        What's funny is that I meant it sarcastically.
Re: The best object to provide scale on a photo showing a small object is:
by goibhniu (Hermit) on Mar 16, 2011 at 15:12 UTC

    I was thinking human hand, but am not clear whether it should be severed with a meat cleaver or surgical saw and how much of the radius and ulna to include . . .

    (I gotta stop watching "Dexter")


    #my sig used to say 'I humbly seek wisdom. '. Now it says:
    use strict;
    use warnings;
    I humbly seek wisdom.
Re: The best object to provide scale on a photo showing a small object is:
by scriptanalysis (Novice) on Mar 18, 2011 at 00:59 UTC

    Coins are attractive options because they're common and their dimensions are relatively easy to obtain, but they are somewhat restricted to the country the photo is taken in. Rulers at the least are based on international standards of measurement.

    Credit cards I'm not sure about, they all appear to be of regular size but I don't know if their dimensions are standardized.

    CDs and floppy discs are also creative solutions, they're common enough objects to give a sense of scale, and they have to be of similar enough size to be accepted by the opening on a floppy drive.

    Still for sheer precision and versatility, I have to choose the ruler.

Re: The best object to provide scale on a photo showing a small object is:
by ikegami (Patriarch) on Nov 16, 2011 at 19:58 UTC
    This extraordinary large coin :D
Re: The best object to provide scale on a photo showing a small object is:
by Anonymous Monk on Jan 17, 2013 at 15:33 UTC
    AA battery

      Hey. Do you think the battery in that pic is a AA or a AAA? It's been jpg'd and scaled and it's impossible to tell.


      With the rise and rise of 'Social' network sites: 'Computers are making people easier to use everyday'
      Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.
      "Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority".
      In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice.

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