>> Surely that's all just arithmetic though? Once you know the 
>> mathematical formulas involved, it's a simple case of plugging the 
>> numbers in and getting the answers out. It's not like you're trying to 
>> derive an approximation to the Gamma function or anything...
> 
> Yes, but you have to find the formulas first. Suppose you need to 
> account for a non-linearity in the system you're controlling to get 
> precise positioning. Say, for the sake of example there's no way to get 
> around the non-linearity. Also, for arguments sake, lets say the 
> designer doesn't have a fancy cad application available, so can't just 
> give you a formula.

The chances of not having "fancy CAD software" available and yet having 
a sophisticated and highly niche product like Mathematica seem rather 
tiny...

>> In other news... when's the last time anybody used a ruler in their 
>> day job?
> 
> I've used a tape measure on numerous occasions. I've also used a small 
> ruler clamped to a bar of a known length to find scaling factors for a 
> machine.

A ruler for measuring things I can believe. But for drawing straight 
lines...? I doubt it. ;-)

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