5 monuments which are constructed using geometrical concepts
Answers
Math and architecture are more closely linked that you might think, so read on to discover what’s behind it all…
1) The Great Pyramid of Giza, Cairo, Egypt
The superlatives that describe the Great Pyramid of Giza speaks for itself: its the largest and oldest of the three pyramids and was the tallest man-made structure in the world for 3,800 years, but there’s also plenty of math behind one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Did you know that in cubits (the first recorded unit of length), the pyramid’s perimeter is 365.24 – the number of days in the year? That the pyramid’s perimeter divided by twice its height is equal to pi (3.1416)? Or that the King’s Chamber measurements are based on a Pythagorean triangle (3, 4, 5)?
2) Taj Mahal, Agra, India
Sitting firmly at the top of many traveler’s wish lists, the Taj Mahal in India is a delight for tourists, with many waiting to get that iconic photo in front of this beautiful building. But look closer and you’ll find a great example of line symmetry – with two lines, one vertical down the middle of the Taj, and one along the waterline, showing the reflection of the prayer towers in the water…
The Eden Project, Cornwall, UK
The Eden Project, in South West England, opened in 2001 and now ranks as one of the UK’s most popular tourist attractions. Although visitors come to check out what’s inside, the greenhouses – geodesic domes made up of hexagonal and pentagonal cells – are pretty neat too.
‘The Core’ was added to the site in 2005, an education center that shows the relationship between plants and people. It’s little surprise that the building has taken its inspiration from plants, using Fibonacci numbers to reflect the nature featured within the site.
There’s even more math to be found in the building structure, which is derived from phyllotaxis, the mathematical basis for most plant growth (opposing spirals are found in many plants, from pine cones to sunflower heads).
4) Parthenon, Athens, Greece
Constructed in 430 or 440 BC the Parthenon was built on the Ancient Greek ideals of harmony, demonstrated by the building’s perfect proportions. The width to height ratio of 9:4 governs the vertical and horizontal proportions of the temple as well as other relationships of the building, for example the spacing between the columns.
It’s also been suggested that the Parthenon’s proportions are based on the Golden Ratio (found in a rectangle whose sides are 1: 1.618).
The Ancient Greeks were resourceful in their quest for beauty – they knew that if they made their columns completely straight, an optical illusion would make them seem thinner in the middle, so they compensated for this by making their columns slightly thicker in the middle.
) The Gherkin, London, UK
The Gherkin’s unusual design features – the round building, bulge in the middle, the narrow taper at the top and spiraling design – create an impact in more ways than you might think. The cylindrical shape minimizes whirlwinds that can form at the base of large buildings, something that can be predicted by computer modeling using the math of turbulence.
What’s more, the bulging middle and tapered top give the illusion of a shorter building that doesn’t block out sunlight, helping to maximise natural ventilation and saving on air conditioning, as well as lighting and heating bills. Built with the help of CAD (Computer Aided Design) and parametric modeling, the Gherkin is now a distinctive feature in London’s city skyline.