Hendrik van Rooyen wrote: > On Saturday 29 March 2008 03:09:46 Steven D'Aprano wrote: >> On Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:59:59 +0100, Robert Bossy wrote: >>> Gabriel Genellina wrote: >>>> That's what I said in another paragraph. "sum of coordinates" is using >>>> a different distance definition; it's the way you measure distance in a >>>> city with square blocks. I don't know if the distance itself has a >>>> name, but >>> I think it is called Manhattan distance in reference of the walking >>> distance from one point to another in this city. >> You know, there are other cities than Manhattan. Some of them even have >> streets and blocks. > > Sorry about having to dispel your illusions, but - > > In Printed Circuit Board Layout jargon, the 'manhattan distance' is > the sum of the distances along the orthogonal axes between > two points on the board that should be connected. > > The sum of all such distances is an idealised minimum for the > total track length on a double sided board, given that it were > possible to lay all tracks with segments connected by vias, > making strictly increasing progress in the desired direction, > by laying x direction tracks on the one, and y direction tracks > on the other side of the board without having to "backtrack" > - i.e. having to "dodge around" obstacles, thereby adding > "overshooting" segments of track. > > (A via is a through plated hole that connects copper traces or > tracks on opposite sides of the board) > > So I have met the beast, but I have no concept of its origin, > other than the mind numbing regularity of the layout of the > suburb of the city after which it seems to be named - > For all I know 'manhatten' could be a native american word that > means "net". > > Have you noticed that when people say "Sorry.....but...." they are > not normally sorry at all? > > :-) > > - Hendrik >
Manhatten distance is also known as "taxicab distance" or "city block distance" - the average distance of getting from point A to point B in a city with roads laid out as grids. maurice -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
