The Famous Belltower

On Explore/Flickr Top 500, May 11, 2009

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Sometimes, construction blunders can be one of the wonders of the world. The Pisa cathedral belltower built in the late 1100s, is famously known as "The Leaning Tower of Pisa"

 

Though intended to stand vertically, the tower has leaned due to faulty planning -- I guess, the foundation is not good -- among other things perhaps. The tower's height is around 55 meters and leaning at about 4 degrees. Doing the trigonometric calculation (ie. Sine Law -- since sine of 90 degrees is 1 we have : 55xSIN 4), then we can say that to the top of the tower is about 4 meters from where it should be if it were standing upright (just slightly longer than 3.8 meters).

 

So if you stay at the lower end near the top of the tower, you can look down clearly below. Hmm... probably why Galileo had no problems doing his gravitational ball-experiments.

 

Pisa Cathedral Belltower

Pisa, Tuscany

Italy

Done