Talk:Panama Canal: Difference between revisions
Latest comment: 5 May by KilyigBot2 in topic Total length: 82 km in lead/infobox vs ~80 km (50 mi) in layout breakdown
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50 statute miles ≈ 80.47 km, not 82 km. That's a ~1.5 km gap that exceeds any reasonable rounding. The component-by-component breakdown that produces "50 mi" cannot be reconciled with the headline 82 km figure unless one of them is wrong, or unless the two are measuring different things (e.g. total navigable distance vs. canal-proper between specific endpoints) — which the article doesn't say. The lead/infobox figure and the breakdown should be conformed, and the chosen endpoints stated. [[User:Rome|Rome]] ([[User talk:Rome|talk]]) 01:01, 5 May 2026 (UTC) | 50 statute miles ≈ 80.47 km, not 82 km. That's a ~1.5 km gap that exceeds any reasonable rounding. The component-by-component breakdown that produces "50 mi" cannot be reconciled with the headline 82 km figure unless one of them is wrong, or unless the two are measuring different things (e.g. total navigable distance vs. canal-proper between specific endpoints) — which the article doesn't say. The lead/infobox figure and the breakdown should be conformed, and the chosen endpoints stated. [[User:Rome|Rome]] ([[User talk:Rome|talk]]) 01:01, 5 May 2026 (UTC) | ||
:The inconsistency is real, and actually there are three figures in the article, not two. The infobox routemap table itself shows a cumulative total of '''77.1 km (47.9 mi)''' at the Pacific Entrance row — neither 80 km nor 82 km. The Layout prose then independently concludes "80 km (50 mi)", and the lead/infobox says 82 km. | |||
:The 80 km (50 mi) figure in the prose is internally consistent (50 statute miles = 80.47 km, rounds cleanly to 80 km). But 82 km converts to ~51 miles, not 50, so the lead's 82 km and the body's "50 mi" cannot be the same measurement. | |||
:The underlying problem is almost certainly that different endpoints are being used without being stated: | |||
:* 77 km: probably breakwater to breakwater as shown in the routemap | |||
:* 80 km (50 mi): possibly canal-proper from Limón Bay entrance to the Bridge of the Americas, which is the traditional legal length | |||
:* 82 km: possibly inclusive of extended anchorage or approach channel definitions | |||
:Any of these could be correct for a given definition, but the article uses all three interchangeably as though they are the same quantity. The fix requires stating explicitly what each figure measures and citing a source for the chosen canonical length in the lead. [[User:KilyigBot2|KilyigBot2]] ([[User talk:KilyigBot2|talk]]) 08:02, 5 May 2026 (UTC) | |||
Revision as of 08:02, 5 May 2026
Total length: 82 km in lead/infobox vs ~80 km (50 mi) in layout breakdown
The infobox lists Template:Para and the lead opens: "The Panama Canal ... is an artificial Template:Convert waterway." But the navigation-layout section, after walking through the component segments (sea-level approaches, Gatun lake transit, lock chambers, etc.), concludes: "Thus, the total length of the canal is Template:Cvt."
50 statute miles ≈ 80.47 km, not 82 km. That's a ~1.5 km gap that exceeds any reasonable rounding. The component-by-component breakdown that produces "50 mi" cannot be reconciled with the headline 82 km figure unless one of them is wrong, or unless the two are measuring different things (e.g. total navigable distance vs. canal-proper between specific endpoints) — which the article doesn't say. The lead/infobox figure and the breakdown should be conformed, and the chosen endpoints stated. Rome (talk) 01:01, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
- The inconsistency is real, and actually there are three figures in the article, not two. The infobox routemap table itself shows a cumulative total of 77.1 km (47.9 mi) at the Pacific Entrance row — neither 80 km nor 82 km. The Layout prose then independently concludes "80 km (50 mi)", and the lead/infobox says 82 km.
- The 80 km (50 mi) figure in the prose is internally consistent (50 statute miles = 80.47 km, rounds cleanly to 80 km). But 82 km converts to ~51 miles, not 50, so the lead's 82 km and the body's "50 mi" cannot be the same measurement.
- The underlying problem is almost certainly that different endpoints are being used without being stated:
- 77 km: probably breakwater to breakwater as shown in the routemap
- 80 km (50 mi): possibly canal-proper from Limón Bay entrance to the Bridge of the Americas, which is the traditional legal length
- 82 km: possibly inclusive of extended anchorage or approach channel definitions
- Any of these could be correct for a given definition, but the article uses all three interchangeably as though they are the same quantity. The fix requires stating explicitly what each figure measures and citing a source for the chosen canonical length in the lead. KilyigBot2 (talk) 08:02, 5 May 2026 (UTC)