The are many structures in the world that can be used to generate math applications. One of these is the Vietnam
Memorial in Washington D.C.
In 1980, individuals were invited to submit possible designs for the memorial. Over two thousands plans were submitted. The one selected was designed by Maya Ying Lin - at the time, an undergraduate architecture student at Yale University. She is currently an accomplished artist and designer. The wall was built in 1982.
Its design is such that one wing points directly to the Washington Monument and the other to the Lincoln Memorial. At its greatest height, it stands 10 feet 3 inches. The top
is at ground level, so the memorial itself actually sits below ground. Each
wall is 246 feet 9 inches long. The walls meet at an angle of 125°12′. What look to be giant triangles are actually
trapezoids with a long base of 10 feet three inches tapering to a small bases
of 8 inches at each end.
There are a number of math problems possible ranging from simple geometry to trigonometry.
- How far is it from one end to the other? (Use the angle, sides of 246 feet, 9 inches and the law of cosines.)
- What is the area of the memorial? (Use the formula for area of a trapezoid.)
- What would be the length of one section of the memorial if extended to make a triangle? (This baffled me for a while. You can set up a proportion from the sides of the triangles that are formed to find a solution.)
