Gas ration stamps being printed, Bureau of Engraving & Printing Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress Zoom In Inquiry

Investigative Question: How is Math used in life? Determine what you see and what questions you might ask to get the big picture.

Describe what you see.

What shapes do you see? Describe any patterns you see.

Support your hypothesis with details from the picture. Make a hypothesis for what you think this is.

Describe what you see using the following concepts: congruency, symmetry, angles and parallel line segments.

How many sides does this building have? What do you call a polygon with this many sides?

Why do you think the rectangular areas within each side of the Pentagon’s walls were built like this?

If you were designing a building, what shapes would you use?

War Department. Pentagon, aerial view II Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress

The Pentagon was built in 1942 to house all of the branches of the United States War Department (now called the Department of Defense). G. Edwin Bergstrom, Chief Consulting Architect for the War Department, and David J. Witmer were charged with designing the building. They initially agreed upon a five-sided shape and later revisions transformed the building's barracks-like inner structure into a series of concentric circles. The building's shape echoes the star design of early forts. National Archives and Records Administration Records of the Public Buildings Service

Understanding the Big Picture How is geometry applied to architecture?

Examine these primary sources to determine the role of geometry in the architecture of the structures. Grand Central Station, New York City Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division The Leaning Tower, Pisa, Italy Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Temple of Heaven, Peking, China Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division