Header Challenge 5th January 2011 – Squaring the circle

 

Now this weeks challenge was seemingly impossible. Well it was an adage for an impossible task anyway. Gailsman chose the theme for this week and he has gone with ‘Squaring the Circle’.

Now I thought I could try and re-create the mathematical problem that this saying derives from that of  the challenge of constructing a square with the same area as a given circle by using only a finite number of steps with compass and straightedge.

squaring the circle-1-2

Unfortunately I am no mathematician so this is as far as I got.

So who or what else is famous for squares and circles? Well I thought of the freemasons with their square and compasses as their emblem.

squaring the circle-1

In the end I thought of just looking for squares and circles in the same photograph…

squaring the circle-1-3

This is a photo taken of the font in the Baptistery in Pisa Italy. The squares and circles to me show that this combination of squares and circles is not just the realms of mathematical scholars but everyday craftsmen and the occasional photographer too.

I hope the other members of the headbangers agree with my interpretation. Don’t forget to leave a comment and tell me what you think, then drop in to see what the others have come up with this week. Follow the links at the top of the right column to see their blogs after leaving your comments of course. 

8 comments:

imac said...

See our Dave has his own idea too, and the Freemasons, neat way to show the work of Squaring the Circle.
Its going to be close again this week.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Dave: Very neat analogy and a nice job on your drawing board. Love you photo of squared circles.

Lanny said...

How pretty. Those are patterns that I could stare at for a long time many times over and see something new each time. How fortunate to be able to take pictures of such wonderful things - to travel to see such splendid art.

Unknown said...

What great old tiles. Hope they are some distance from the leaning tower...

Dave Cawkwell said...

They are part of the font in the Baptistery that is part of the cathedral that has the leaning tower as its bell tower. All in the same square all leaning!

Lew said...

You have squared many circles (or some artist many years ago did). Great take on the theme. One way to do the math for your equal areas: a square with sides "pi" and the radias of the circle pi deivide by the square root of pi.

Lew said...

Oops: "deivide" should be "divided"

Isabel said...

Lovely and very difficult shot. Congratulations!

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