Wikipedia:Featured picture candidates/Ford.circles.gif

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[edit] Ford circles

Ford circles. A circle rests upon each fraction in lowest terms. The ones shown are for the fractions 0/1, 1/1, 1/2, 1/3, 2/3, 1/4, 3/4, 1/5, 2/5, 3/5, 4/5. Each circle will touch, but not cross, the line and some neighboring circles. Fractions with the same denominator have circles of the same size.

I created this one. It's a very simple picture. I think it can make clear to any 15-year-old or other layperson (except perhaps those who dislike mathematics) the concept explained in Ford circle that might otherwise be understood only by mathematicians. Michael Hardy 30 June 2005 22:45 (UTC)

• The only improvement I can see might be coloring the circles some shade of gray so they stand out from the background. --brian0918™ 30 June 2005 23:08 (UTC)
  • Or indeed more interesting colours (but note red/green colourblindness) Dunc|☺ 1 July 2005 09:42 (UTC)
    • How, specifically, would colors help explain the concept (that being the purpose of this picture)? Michael Hardy 1 July 2005 21:52 (UTC)
      • It would make it nicer to look at. It could increase the illustrative value if some sort of color coding was used (no obvious system strikes me). This link is Broken 2 July 2005 15:51 (UTC)
• Personally, I'd say colours wouldn't add that much... Enochlau 2 July 2005 08:09 (UTC)
  • But the gist is there - this plain picture could be a little more interesting. Neutral. Enochlau 4 July 2005 00:46 (UTC)
• From a mathematical POV color will suggests discs instead of circles ? Ericd 3 July 2005 20:05 (UTC)
  • I think that would be the case if the interior of each circle were colored in while the exterior remains white. Therefore that would be a bad way to do it; it would mislead the reader. Michael Hardy 4 July 2005 02:43 (UTC)
• What a beautiful picture. Support.~ Neuroscientist | T | C July 6, 2005 06:23 (UTC)
  • Thank you. Michael Hardy 8 July 2005 01:57 (UTC)
• Why not have the background gray? Support if you do. Proto t c 8 July 2005 09:22 (UTC)
  • The circles are gray. If the background is a slightly lighter gray, the circles may be hard to see. Michael Hardy 22:43, 9 July 2005 (UTC)
• Neutral - I find the image interesting but not quite striking. Sango123 20:59, July 13, 2005 (UTC)
  • Striking is not what they're supposed to be! They're supposed to be edifying. The fact that it clarifies for people who know little math what might otherwise be comprehensible only to us math nerds is what matters, according to the criteria. Michael Hardy 23:34, 15 July 2005 (UTC)
• Support. Not striking, and certainly not suitable for Commons FPC, but well-executed, interesting in its own right, and adds significantly to its article. —Cryptic (talk) 21:43, 13 July 2005 (UTC)

Not promoted +3 / -0 / 2 neutral : insufficient support -- Solipsist 11:06, 16 July 2005 (UTC)