Ebook: The Geometry of War

National University of Singapore, 2002. — 72 p.Mathematics in arts and architecture.In Geometry of War, we look at four main sections namely, Gunnery, Range finding and Surveying, Fortifications and lastly Troops Formations. In Gunnery, we traced the development of cannons through the centuries. The cannons had evolved from heavy and cumbersome ones to become much lighter and thus easier to move about. The length of the barrel of the guns will affect the firing range. We also take a look at different kinds of gunner’s instruments. These instruments were very useful to gunners. Lastly, Galileo’s Half Speed Rule is discussed. The Half Speed Rule is used to calculate the distance travelled by a falling object which falls at uniform acceleration from rest. Next, range finding and surveying is mainly about the measurement of distance between two objects or stations. The two main methods are triangulation and traverse. Then, in fortifications, we take a look at the design and shape of different forts. These two factors will affect the defence of the fort. Certain shapes such as pentagons are better than others. Lastly, troops formations on the battlefield played an important part in determining whether an army will gain victory. There are many kinds of troops formations. In this project, only the more significant ones are discussed.