Friedman tells us the world is flat.
Einstein found that spacetime is curved.
And Shakespeare said "All the world's a square."
Or something like that.
Einstein found that spacetime is curved.
And Shakespeare said "All the world's a square."
Or something like that.
PANGAEA
The Supercontinent
Note: The ratio of landmass of Pangaea is to scale
to the water mass of Panthalassa, the super ocean.
(29.2 : 70.8)
THE MODERN CONTINENTS
Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, Australia
Total land area = 149 million square kilometers
Total land area = (12,200) x (12,200) sq. km.
Total pixel area = 814 x 814 pixels
where 1 pixel = 15 x 15 sq. km.
THE WORLD IS SQUARE
The square projection
205 nations, states, and countries
From Angola to Zambia,
from the British Virgin Islands to the U.S. Virgin Islands,
from the Republic of Congo to the Democratic Republic of Congo,
and from Guinea to Guyana to
French Guiana to Papua New Guinea,
it's all squared away.
"There is One above you who combines many
Spheres in One Supreme Existence,
surpassing even the Solids of Spaceland"
- A. Square in Edwin A. Abbott's
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
This is flat-out fantastic!
ReplyDeleteAs member of a different gender from Mr. A. Square (but without as much time as he seems to have), I wonder how attractive these maps would be if they were comprised of triangles?
Then one would also have to wonder if Mr. A. S. would be inspired to advance to other regular tesselations?
I will keep checking back into this dimension ...
Dear anonymous,
ReplyDeleteI much appreciate your comment and thoughts.
If you recall, in Abbott's "Flatland",
The general scheme of evolution is:
(1) an n-sided regular polygon will beget an n+1-sided regular polygon,
(2) an isosceles triangle with sharp angles will beget an isosceles triangle, whose angle is one-half degree less sharp,
(3) all women for all time are straight line segments.
"Flatland" is a fascinating and fun read, and I recommend it to all, not just as a work of mathematical fantasy but also as a biting satire on human nature.
Ah, it's been many, many years since I first read Flatland, and even quite a few since I last read it. While it was one of the most important books I ever read, I must admit, I'd forgotten that a straight line should not waste time hoping to evolve to even a stupid pointy sharp isosceles, much less to an equilateral, or even thinking she might already have done so. But isn't that so line-ish of me?
ReplyDeleteWait, I can feel an angle forming:
ReplyDelete\_
'A Straight Line to the touch is worth a Circle to the sight'
ReplyDeleteA Proverb, very common with the Frailer Sex in Flatland