The Plastic Number
The plastic number is of interest primarily for its method of genesis. Its creator, Hans van der Laan, performed experiments on human subjects to attempt to discover the limits of human beings ability to perceive relationships between objects. From these discovered limits he extrapolated a system of proportions (the particular set he chose are quite close to the Pythagorean divisions of the octave). The range of scales over which the plastic number is considered functional is limited, so it is possible to construct a set of all proportional forms within it. The plastic number has not been widely adopted by practicing architects.
Read more about this topic: Proportion (architecture)
Famous quotes containing the words plastic and/or number:
“The plastic virtues: purity, unity, and truth, keep nature in subjection.”
—Guillaume Apollinaire (1880–1918)
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