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The Revenge of Pythagorus
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News
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By overconvergent
Posted Tue Nov 29, 2005 at 02:44:54 AM PDT
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A case before the New York Court of Appeals turned on exactly what definition of distance should be used - the definition given by Pythagorus, of sqrt(a^2+b^2), or the Manhattan definition, where the distance is measured by the number of blocks one has to travel.
Pythagorus won.
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| The crime (as reported here) was that of selling drugs near a school. In New York law, if drugs are sold within 1000 feet of a school, then a higher penalty is imposed.
The prosecution used as-the-crow-flies distance, whereas the defence used the Manhattan metric (ironically, the crime took place in Manhattan). The court unanimously decided for the prosecution.
Similar cases (including one where the distance was between a church and the site of a proposed bar) have also been decided using Pythagorus. |
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