[Aztlan] Crypt and vase Proportions

[Justin Kerr]

Dear Sid and all,
You are correct. I do use a tape measure in all cases to determine the
proportion needed for an accurate rollout. PI was far too cumbersome. And
although I generally use Excel for the final results, I find a paper and
pencil work just as well.
Justin  

-----Original Message-----
From: aztlan-bounces at lists.famsi.org [mailto:aztlan-bounces at lists.famsi.org]
On Behalf Of Sid Hollander
Sent: Sunday, January 17, 2010 11:50 PM
To: AZATLAN
Subject: Re: [Aztlan] Crypt and vase Proportions

A response to Falken Forshaw:

There is something amiss here.   There are several things at play here:

1. Did the Maya know that the ratio of a circle's circumference to its
diameter is a constant?
2. If they did, Did they make use of this fact? How?
3. If they didn't, would they still be able to make round coumns, rounded
corners, 'pull toys' with wheels.
4. An equally valid question is,  How could the express it?

Did the Maya make use of circles? A resounding yes! They made ceramic pots
and buildings whose cross sections were circular. Taking it to the third
dimension they made spherical stones, beads and hemispherical domes for
observatories. Not one (or all combined) of these accomplishments is
sufficient to prove that they knew anything about the relationship of a
circles' circumference to its diameter nor does awareness of this
relationship make it easier for the Maya to do any of the former.

Asking Justin, if HE uses Pi in his photography work (of Maya vases) can not
bring us any closer to the answer of, "Did the Maya know about the
relationship of a circles' circumference to its diameter?"

One needs no knowledge of pi to make a pot or a column.  The fact that one
makes a pot or a column is not evidence that they have an understanding of
Pi.  This also applies to bowl making.  The Maya made bowls.  This does not
mean that they understood or used parabolic equations. Nor does the fact
that they made spherical pelotas and hemispherical domes for observatories
suggest that they had knowledge that the volume of a sphere is 4/3 (Pi)r
cubed.

We would need much more than the existence of roundness to give the Maya
this knowledge.  As a matter of fact, there is much to say that they did NOT
make use of this knowledge because they could not.  To the best of my
knowledge there Maya did not make use of decimals or fractions (I suppose
some sort of argument could be made with reference to the Venus tables).

Without decimal/fractions, knowing that there was always a little more than
3 diameters in a circumference can be of no help in making round things.

If I read Justins reply correctly ..i.e. He said "HE" used Pi to figure out
circumference of a pot (To determine legth of his planned rollout)  when the
walls were perpendicular... but MANY times he had to use a tapemeasure.  The
tape measure would have served him in EVERY case just as a thin vine would
have served the Maya.  Making a pot with a diameter equal to 50 beans is as
easy as using a twig that is 50 beans long and checking.  If the twig fits
in the opening squeez the sides, if it doesn't fit use thumb pressure to
open it up. No Pi.  Want to divide the pot into 4 sections? Tie a thread
around the pot. Cut off the ends and fold the thread in half twice.  No Pi.

-- 
Sid Hollander
Merida, Yucatan
The book of nature is written in mathematical symbols.. Galileo
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