Proportions in the Architecture Curriculum

Roger Herz-Fischler presents a revised version of a chapter entitled “Proportions” that appeared in the problems part of his book, Space, Shape and Form /An Algorithmic Approach, developed for a mathematics course he taught in the School of Architecture at Carleton University from 1973-1984.

Example of reckoning of a pyramid, Height 250, base 360 cubits. What is its seked?......(Answer:5+1/25 hands). From the Rhind Papyrus¹

¹The Rhind Papyrus is from the Fifteenth Dynasty (c. - 1800), but is known to be based on a Twelfth Dynasty text. For details of the pyramid problems, as well as a discussion of the archaeological, historical and philosophical aspects, related to the problem of determining how the Great Pyramid was designed, see [Herz-Fischler 2000].