Cosmology – Construction Assignment 2 –

Due Wednesday, September 27.

1. We will start with two constructions of the square from Schneider. The simplest one is found on page 70. Note that it begins with a Vesica Pisces. Start with a sheet of paper oriented horizontally and draw a line segment about 3” long in the center of the page. Using the two endpoints of the line as centers draw the two circles as shown on page 70.

2. The more complex construction comes from Euclid’s Elements and proceeds by constructing a line perpendicular to the starting line segment. Construct a square using the construction found on page 71.

3. The final construction is found on pages 72-3. The task is to construct a large square and then construct a sequence of squares of diminishing size inside the original square. This construction was used by masons who built Romanesque and Gothic churches to produce a set of standard measurements based on.