Possumblog

Not in the clamor of the crowded street, not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng, but in ourselves, are triumph and defeat.--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

REDIRECT ALERT! (Scroll down past this mess if you're trying to read an archived post. Thanks. No, really, thanks.)

Due to my inability to control my temper and complacently accept continued silliness with not-quite-as-reliable-as-it-ought-to-be Blogger/Blogspot, your beloved Possumblog will now waddle across the Information Dirt Road and park its prehensile tail at http://possumblog.mu.nu.

This site will remain in place as a backup in case Munuvia gets hit by a bus or something, but I don't think they have as much trouble with this as some places do. ::cough::blogspot::cough:: So click here and adjust your links. I apologize for the inconvenience, but it's one of those things.

Tuesday, August 24, 2004

Obscure Architectural Term of the Day!

GOLDEN SECTION. An irrational proportion, probably known to the ancient Greeks (perhaps Euclid) and thought to be divine by Renaissance theorists, notably Luca Pacioli (De divina proportione, 1479, published 1509). It may be defined as a line cut in such a way that the smaller section is to the greater as the greater is to the whole. This cannot be worked out mathematically, hence its fascination. Approximately it would be 5:8.

From the Penguin Dictionary of Architecture, Third Edition

Interesting sort of thing--here's a picture to show what it's supposed to look like, and here is a link to a dense site showing how this little gem seems to get worked into everything, as well as a nice bio on Sig. Pacioli.

posted by Terry at 11:33:00 AM

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