The (not so) humble Triangle. Mathematics for all intents and purposes began with the triangle. Pre-Socrates Greek thinker Thales of Miletus (624 BC – 546 BC) calculated the height of the Great Pyramid of Giza. How? By using shadow reckoning. The height of a tall object is calculated by measuring the length of its shadow, and by considering both height and shadow as sides of a triangle.
Thales could also cipher the distance of ships from the shore. All hail Thales as the first true mathematician! Fast forward 2,500 years, and don’t we receive ample benefit from his deliberations. My stunning neighbourhood – all rectangles, and triangles as is is…
Financial Centre, Dubai D3000 Aperture priority f/10; Exposure 1/200sec; ISO-100
