*brilliant* thank you all. i can google solutions for hours, but nothing beats a collection of exceptional human brains. On Tue, Dec 20, 2011 at 9:10 AM, Cary Gordon <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Okay, maybe it is me. > > (255*(x-6))/451 > > On Tue, Dec 20, 2011 at 9:03 AM, James Stuart <[log in to unmask]> > wrote: > > 255 * (point - data.min) / (data.max - data.min) > > > > On Tue, Dec 20, 2011 at 11:57 AM, Nate Hill <[log in to unmask]> > wrote: > >> Here's a brain teaser for the mathematically inclined: > >> > >> I've got a set of values that I want to scale to the 0-255 range so > that I > >> can adjust colors in my CSS. > >> Say I have the following data: (6, 457, 97, 200, 122). > >> I'd like to scale those numbers so that the highest one, 475 = 255. > >> and the lowest one, 6 = 0. > >> All of the other numbers, 97, 200, and 122 should be scaled > proportionally > >> to fit within the range. > >> > >> This way, when I loop through and hit my CSS {background-color:rgb(255, > >> **data**, 255);} each piece of data will generate a different color and > >> I'll have the maximum spread in proportionally correct colors from > 0-255. > >> > >> There's probably some math operation to do this, but I know I paid far > too > >> little attention in math class as a kid. "When will I ever need to use > >> this stuff in *real life*", I asked the teacher with a sneer. > >> > >> If anyone could point me in the right direction I'd appreciate it. > >> > >> -- > >> Nate Hill > >> [log in to unmask] > >> http://www.natehill.net > > > > -- > Cary Gordon > The Cherry Hill Company > http://chillco.com > -- Nate Hill [log in to unmask] http://www.natehill.net