Showing 2 results

6 Bridge Rd., St. John's Wood - Further to WW's lecture at St. Martin's Hall in which he gave an example of the geometry of a sheet of paper: JJ encloses an example of the generation of three curved lines aided by two strips of paper, a ruler, a fixed point and a T square. A mould is taken of the first curve and the T Square is then used instead of the straight ruler: The same process is then repeated for the third curve. Any other straight line can now be drawn across the three curves. JJ's example 'shows how all the three curves may be generated at the same time by three T squares linked together'. He concludes: 'Many other results can be obtained by such simple repeated movements, and their relations to curved solids made manifest by simple geometrical laws'.

6 Bridge Rd., St. John's Wood - It is now over a year since WW saw some of JJ's work at the Architectural Museum. He had sought 'to invite attention, to the 'source' of true scientific forms and proportions, applicable to art'. He wrote to Lord Stanley on the value and extent to which he had 'determined simple and practical geometrical facts, systematically, and connectedly, far beyond what is taught at schools'. JJ does not know if any mathematician such as WW, 'has been desired by, or given to, the Board of Trade' an account of what he as done. JJ describes the defective teaching of geometry to architects and artisans: 'the theory of the schools in reference to truth, and character of curved lines, however it may expand the mind of the mathematician, is not sufficient practically for instructing either the mind or the eye of architects and artists'.