I had a teacher in grade 8 math who gave you an extra mark on any test if you wrote I love math anywhere on your test paper. I usually lost a mark for writing I hate math. It also got me detentions after school and acidic stares from my teacher. But it was true.
And I still hate math.
The basic premise is that a sector represents two sides of an isosceles triangle; that is, a triangle with two equal sides and corresponding angles. You don't need to remember grade 8 math to get it though.
The key is that all measurements are relative to one another along the length of your sector.
So in this picture you see my sector set on a ruler at the 0 and 4 inch mark. I've lined up my sector at my "6" mark.
In this picture you can see my dividers set to the "3" mark on my sector - you can't see it but my sector is still on the 0 and 4 inch mark as above.
In this photo I take my dividers and set them onto the ruler. You can see that they span between the 1 and 2" marks - that is to say, exactly half of 4 inches. Since I set my dividers at the "3" mark (half of 6) I got half of my layout - which was 4" on my ruler. Again, it takes longer to type this out than to show it.
And really that's all there is to it. I've been using a sector since I made one and find it to be amazingly accurate. The only downside to using a sector is that you have to make one yourself. I made mine out of scraps of oak and a very small inexpensive 2" hinge from Home Depot. It's not the best but it works - I don't know of any manufacturer who makes a sector anymore.
So that's all you need to get away from tricky math. Get yourself a set of dividers, make yourself a sector, and stop doing math.
In this picture you can see my dividers set to the "3" mark on my sector - you can't see it but my sector is still on the 0 and 4 inch mark as above.
In this photo I take my dividers and set them onto the ruler. You can see that they span between the 1 and 2" marks - that is to say, exactly half of 4 inches. Since I set my dividers at the "3" mark (half of 6) I got half of my layout - which was 4" on my ruler. Again, it takes longer to type this out than to show it.
And really that's all there is to it. I've been using a sector since I made one and find it to be amazingly accurate. The only downside to using a sector is that you have to make one yourself. I made mine out of scraps of oak and a very small inexpensive 2" hinge from Home Depot. It's not the best but it works - I don't know of any manufacturer who makes a sector anymore.
So that's all you need to get away from tricky math. Get yourself a set of dividers, make yourself a sector, and stop doing math.
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