Monday, December 1, 2014

Trigonometry in Architecture


Trigonometric identities are used heavily in architecture. All of the six different identities come in hand when finding the length of the sides of a wall, or at the angle the material must be placed at to receive the desired outcome for the given location. Before architecture became primarily digital, architects had to be very good at math. Blueprints of a given structure always involve trigonometry, because something must be built perfectly, and a structure simply will not hold if the walls are not made to match up with the ceiling properly. Knowing the sin and cosine of an angle between two walls, allows the architect to evaluate the amount of material that will be necessary to complete the project. Trigonometry allows one to be as accurate as possible when determining the correct sizes of geometric structures. Intricate bridges, benches, and buildings that have curves can use trigonometry by mimicking the unit circle and following the rules of this genre of mathematics accordingly. It is much easier to build a structure when positive of all of the measurements. Even Vectors, which have a starting point, magnitude and direction -- allows one the ability to define the forces and loads that a given structure can support. Trigonometry is obviously based upon the principles of the triangle, and this shape is a main component in architecture.  By understanding the key concepts of trig, one can obtain all information regarding angle measurements and lengths, which is a necessity when building a strong, aesthetically pleasing structure.

No comments:

Post a Comment