Day Sixty-Nine : Reviewing and Researching

Thursday 12th March 2020

The last few weeks we have been researching and reviewing things, quite specifically a lot of these things have been about mathematics, science, religion and art. In this blogpost I am going to compile some of my research about these topics. I did not write these completely in my own words because I thought that the websites I got them from described the topics rather well.

Places of Worship : https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/galleries/worship/

Gurdwara The Gurdwara, literally meaning 'door to the Guru', is the Sikh place of worship, they are open to everyone, although Sikhs ask that shoes are removed and heads are covered before entry. The Gurdwara also houses the Langar, which is a free community kitchen. Most Gurdwaras also have a triangular flag flying outside with the Sikh emblem on.

Synagogue The Synagogue is the Jewish place of worship and is used for study and prayer as well as social activities. Every synagogue contains an Ark, which is a cupboard where the Torah Scrolls are kept and a desk from which to read the Torah. An Eternal Light hangs above the Ark. This light is always burning, as a symbol of God's presence.

Masjid

Mosques are often the centre of a community, hosting the five daily prayers, classes, weddings, and meetings. When in congregation, Muslims line up in straight rows to pray, often shoulder to shoulder, foot to foot. Mosques also have a large hall for praying in which is usually carpeted.

Buddhist temple Buddhist temples come in many shapes but the best known ones are the pagodas of China and Japan. Buddhist temples are designed to symbolise the five elements: Fire; Air; Earth, symbolised by the square base; Water and Wisdom, symbolised by the pinnacle at the top. All Buddhist temples contain an image or a statue of Buddha.

Church The Church is a building used for religious worship by Christians and it is also used for community activities. Churches vary in appearance some may consist of a single room and be very simply furnished, while others may have several additional chapels and altars with additional rooms for clergy and vestments.

Jinja A Jinja is a shrine that is believed to house the spirit of a kami, and is therefore important to Shintoists. Religious services take the form of worshipping an object in which the kami is believed to reside. Jinjas are usually located in a natural environment, and are built so they look pure and simple. Originally, jinjas were located in open spaces and Shintoists would sit and observe the landscape. Due to Buddhist influence, however, jinjas were made into buildings.

The Fibonacci sequence : https://www.livescience.com/37470-fibonacci-sequence.html

The Fibonacci sequence is one of the most famous formulas in mathematics. Each number in the sequence is the sum of the two numbers that precede it. So, the sequence goes: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, and so on. The mathematical equation describing it is Xn+2= Xn+1 + Xn. It's true that the Fibonacci sequence is tightly connected to what's now known as the golden ratio (which is not even a true ratio because it's an irrational number), the ratio of the numbers in the sequence, as the sequence goes to infinity, approaches the golden ratio, which is 1.6180339887498948482... From there, mathematicians can calculate what's called the golden spiral, or a logarithmic spiral whose growth factor equals the golden ratio.

The Vitruvian Man : https://www.leonardodavinci.net/the-vitruvian-man.jsp

The Vitruvian Man was created by Leonardo da Vinci around the year 1487. The drawing, which is in pen and ink on paper, depicts a male figure in two superimposed positions with his arms and legs apart and simultaneously inscribed in a circle and square. The drawing and text are sometimes called the Canon of Proportions. The proportional relationship of the parts reflects universal design. And a "medical" equilibrium of elements ensures a stable structure. These qualities are thus shared equally by God's creation of the human body and the human being's own production of a good building. This image provides the perfect example of Leonardo's keen interest in proportion. In addition, this picture represents a cornerstone of Leonardo's attempts to relate man to nature.

I also worked on my project proposal so here is a screenshot of it: