[Info-vax] IE8 got me too :-( Sorry Jeff.

[Paul Anderson]

In article 
<8862fd48-95fa-420d-b448-6413f275c2e3 at k17g2000vbm.googlegroups.com>,
 Alan Feldman <alanfeldman48 at gmail.com> wrote:

> 16.5? Really? I thought it was 16. I've seen 33s, 45s, and even a 78, 
> but never a 16(.5?).

Actually, the speeds were 16 2/3, 33 1/3, 45 and 78.26086957.  
Apparently, there was no exact standard for "78" and I always assumed 
until looking into it today that 78 was the exact RPM.

33 1/3 was chosen exactly, and 16 5/6 was half of that, used for longer 
symphonic pieces that could then fit uninterrupted on one side.  The 
sound quality suffered, but today's listeners to MP3 files probably 
wouldn't notice.  ;-)

Paul