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Re: Strange Maths (was Re: Why not 13 months?)
Alan Hughes (DND@netins.net)
21 Jul 1995 14:28:19 GMT
In article <waterrd.50.00137F44@mins2.msfc.nasa.gov>,
waterrd@mins2.msfc.nasa.gov says...
>
>In article <DByHv3.4pz@uns.bris.ac.uk> ert@gly.bris.ac.uk (Reggie)
writes:
>
>>Mike (mike@label.tlug.org) wrote:
>
>>: Even allowing for wide variations in body part sizes, as the number
of
>>: instances of use multiply (as with a structure the size of a pyramid)
the
>>: mean will come to appear as a "standard". This is the nature of
statistics.
>
>>I agree with your main argument, but your reference to the pyramids
>>suggests that the eygptians didn't have a standardised measure. This
>>I find hard to believe. To create a geometric object the size of the
>>pyramids would end up as a total balls up if each craftsman was using
>>their own measure.
>
> Has anyone mentioned the Japanese study (done by a Japanese
television
>station, I think) into why certain ratios can be extracted from the
dimensions
>of the pyramids? I saw it on the Discovery channel around a year ago.
>
> Based on my [sketchy] memory, if you divide the base of the great
pyramid
>by its height, you get pi/2 (or something like that) to 4 decimal
places. The
>program then went on to argue a theory to explain this that--
> i) Made good sense
> ii) Was plausible using only tools the Egyptians had (specifically,
wheels)
> iii) Did not rely on the probability of random ratios of numbers
happening
> to be significant
> iv) Did not require any unexplainable advanced technology (from
UFO's,
> Atlanteans, or whatever)
>
> Maybe someone else who saw it could provide more detail.
>
> R.W.
The theory was that they used a wheel to measure the length of the sides
of the pyramid. It is more accurate and repeatable than using a length of
twine, rope, etc. For a pyramid of height 100 units, take a wheel of
diameter 1 unit and measure off 100 revolutions of the wheel for the
side. This gives you a length to height ratio of pi.
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