The figures thread motivated me to post this observation.

I just read Hamill's autobio. Of course, figures were a big part of her training and competitive exp. She attempted to explain what a scribe is for those less knowledgeable about skating. She called it a "protractor". Okay, recall your middle school math classes. Protractors are the plastic half-circle things used to measure angles. A scribe is huge compass, used for drawing circles. I got a laugh out of this b/c Dorothy obviously did not know. She repeatedly claims she was not an academic person, so I can excuse her to a point. However, her coauthor didn't look it up and the mistake got past the eds.

Kay

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I remember a fluff piece on Hamill where they talked about the eyeglasses she wore for figures. The coach insisted they be huge so she'd have no blind spots that would throw off her tracings.

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Actually, it's also a "divider". I can see where someone would be confused. After purchasing them for school together, few people ever use them again.

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I have never heard this term used for a compass- could you please explain further.

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I remember those huge glasses!!! I got my hair cut in her exact style and chose a similar pair of glasses to hers when I was a kid - I adored her. Still do!

A divider and a protractor are similar a little plastic half circle with 1-180 degrees on it allows you to measure the angle. A compass the thingee with a pointee end and then a pencil end allows you to make the circle, just like a scribe, but the best part of a scribe is loosening the end segment and making your circle very quickly..thus flinging the loosened end segment at a "friend" and trying to trip them as they concentrate, ever so seriously on their figures.

This could possibly explain my lack of skill at getting thru my 3rd figure test.

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Thanks- I know what a compass and protractor are (use them often) but I've never heard of a divider.

LOL on flinging the scribe. I never did figures- actually figures are why I couldn't skate as a kid. Couldn't get to patch ice- so I just did Basic 1 (and maybe 2?) before we realized that we couldn't make the committment to skating.

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Actually a divider isn't the 1/2 circle protractor. It is something you use for measurement - typically nautical or other map measurements. You put the points on the scale and "walk" it point to point over the map. You can also measure the radius of a circle or do a sweep around the center point.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dividers

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I'd never heard of a "divider" either. Doubt Dorothy has.

There is a pic of her wearing the big glasses in her book.

Kay

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I'll tell her next time I see her.

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Well, you often use a compass *with* a protractor....and it's not like kids pay all that much attention to the dang things to start with. It's not surprising that people of all sorts get them mixed up.

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Which is why a compass has sometimes also been called a "divider". A divider is just a compass with two points instead of lead (or a pencil) for one point.

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LOL! You're bad!!! My scribe used to fling its end piece, but not on purpose ... it's because it was a piece of crap that wouldn't tighten properly!