Analysis Of The Geometry Of Stalactites: Buruciye Medresesi In Sivas

摘要

Giyaseddin Jemshid el-Kashi, an outstanding mathematician-astronomer wholived in early 15th century, devoted a section of his book, Miftah el-Hisab, tostalactites. There he classifies the stalactites into four types, explains the repeatingelements of each type in a systematic manner, provides some convenient rulesfor the survey of the areas of stalactites (without giving the explanatory proofsand calculations) and describes how to prepare the pattern for a unit element(?zdural, 1990,37-44). One of his remarks is very enlightening concerning theunderlying principles of the geometry of stalactite designs:As has been related, the length at the base of the largest side is calledthe 'scale of the stalactite' (mikyas el-mukarnas) (?zdural, 1990,37).