Tower Paper

Nathan Frazier and Taif Rahman

Macomb Mathematics Science Technology Center

GAT 9C

Mr. Acre

29 May 2015
 Frazier-Rahman 1
Introduction

We have received your request to our company to construct a specialized building for

you. It is most rare for our company to be presented with such a complex task, but the profit

acquired from this building project is worth the effort. We are willing to construct the designated

structure you have outlined in your request form, so long as you are willing to pay for the

expenses that will go into building this tower along with paying us for our efforts in building it.

The seasoned architects designing this building are the very best our company has to offer, and

they are Nathan Frazier and Taif Rahman.

According to your specifications Mrs. Copeland, youd like your tower to be built right

next to your favored high school, the Macomb Mathematics Science Technology Center. You

have gained permission to build on a 31 by 31 ft plot, but with restrictions. The structure cannot

be built within 3 ft of the boundaries of the plot in accordance with the local laws designated by

the city of Warren due to safety issues and territorial disputes. To make the greatest use of the

plot of land you have purchased, you want the size of the tower maximized on the plot, and you

would like for the tower to include an aquarium built into the floor and a solid, weather-proof

foundation in respect to Michigans varied weather, among many other requirements and

specifications.

While this tower will be the most intricate request our company has been faced with, we

are definitely capable of designing and building the tower perfectly detailed as outlined in the

design. Many errors have occurred in attaining the measurements in the design, but we believe

the design has been perfected and is ready to be constructed. We very much hope that we have

obtained your satisfaction with the tower.

 Frazier-Rahman 2
The 18-gon Maximized on the Plot

The polygon that you requested use of in building the tower was an 18 sided polygon,

also called an 18-gon and the octadecagon. The plot that the tower is to be built on is a 31 by 31

ft square area, but due to the 3 ft local restriction, the working space in which the tower is to be

built on is a 25 by 25 ft square plot. To maximize the octadecagon, two vertices of the

octadecagon will be touching the edges of the working space, while all other sides will be within

the boundaries of the working space.

The maximized octadecagon is where the foundation begins and the towers outer wall

will begin 1 foot in from this maximized octadecagon. This creates an octadecagon for the outer

wall, and the wall is to be 1 foot thick, creating a third octadecagon for the inner wall. Finally,

the foundation ends 1 ft in from the inner wall of the tower, and the fourth and innermost

octadecagon that is created is where the aquarium will be.

 Frazier-Rahman 3
Figure 1. Maximized Octadecagon

Figure 1, above, shows an overview of the concentric polygons created by the maximized

octadecagon. The original plot size was 31 by 31 ft but due to the 3 ft local restriction, 3 ft is

subtracted from both sides, so a total of 6 ft is subtracted from the original 31 ft. 31 6 = 25 so

one side length of the working space square is 25 ft side. Thus, the working space is 25 by 25 ft

in size. Half the length of one side of the working space is 12.5 ft, and this single side length is

crucial in finding various measurements concerning the octadecagon.

360 360
The measure of the octadecagons central angle is = = 20. This
n 18

central angle measure applies for every octadecagon and half the central angle measure is 10,

which is another crucial measurement in finding various measurements of the octadecagon.

Figure 2. Outermost Octadecagon Measurements

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Figure 2 shows the measurements found for the outermost octadecagon. A triangle is

formed between two consecutive points and the center, and a right triangle is created when

dropping a perpendicular from the center to one side of the octadecagon. The hypotenuse length

of this right triangle is 12.5 ft due half a side of the working space also being 12.5 ft. Since a

perpendicular was created within the right triangle, the

b
cos(10) =
12.5 central angle of 20 is bisected, so the angle of the right

b = 12.5cos(10) 12.31 ft triangle is 10. The outermost octadecagon will be referred

to as polygon 1 throughout the paper, and each polygon that is 1 feet in from polygon 1 will be

numbered numerically ascending from polygon 1.

Figure 3. Height of Polygon 1

Figure 3 above shows the steps in which the height of polygon were found. The cosine

function of 10 was used within the right triangle, and the height of the triangle was found to be
0.5 a
sin(10) = about 12.31 ft.
12.5

a
12.5sin(10) =
2

a = 25sin(10) 4.34 ft

Figure 4. Side Length of Polygon 1

Figure 4 above uses the sine ratio of 10 within the right triangle to find the side length of

polygon 1, which is approximately 4.34 ft.

 Frazier-Rahman 5
1
A= (12.31)(18)(4.34) 480.97
2

ft
Figure 5. Area of Polygon 1

Figure 5 shows the numbers used to find the area of polygon 1. The area formula for a

1
polygon is A = a P where a is the length of the apothem, or the altitude of a triangle in
2

the octadecagon. The apothem was about 12.31 ft and the perimeter was the side length of

polygon 1, which was about 4.34 ft, multiplied by 18. The measurements were plugged into the

equation and the area of polygon 1 was found to be about 480.97 ft. The measurements shown

in the equation were the rounded measurements for each value, but the solution was calculated

using exact answers, not the rounded answers, so that the final answer would be precise. The

rounded values displayed in the equation are present in place of the exact values create a more

simple visual of the equation, as it would be impractical to use the exact values in already very

lengthy equations. This manner of work will be practiced in various sections of the paper.
 Frazier-Rahman 6
Figure 6. Measurements of Polygon 2

Figure 6 is a visual of polygon 2, which is the octadecagon formed by the outer wall of

the tower. Polygon 2 is 1 ft inward along the height of polygon 1, thus, the height of polygon 2 is

1 ft less than the height of polygon 1.

d = b - 1 = 12.5cos(10) - 1 11.31 ft

Figure 7. Height of Polygon 2

Figure 7 shows the process which was used to find the height of polygon 2. The height of

0.5 c polygon 2 was very simply the height of

tan(10) =
12.5 cos ( 10 )1
polygon 1 minus one, yielding
c = 2tan(10)(12.5cos(10) - 1) 3.99 ft
approximately 11.31 ft.

Figure 8. Side Length of Polygon 2

Figure 8 shows the process in which the side length of polygon 2 was found using the

tangent function. This equation was a little more complex than other equations do to including

several trigonometric functions.

1
A= (11.31)(18)(3.99) 406.00
2

ft
Figure 9. Area of Polygon 2

Figure 9, above, shows the equation used to find the area of polygon 2, which was found

to be approximately 406.00 ft.

 Frazier-Rahman 7

Figure 10. Measurements of Polygon 3

Figure 10 is an illustration of the measurements for polygon 3, which is 1 ft in from

f = 12.5cos(10) 1 - 1 = 12.5cos(10) - 2 ft 10.31 ft polygon 2 along the height and is the

polygon for the inner wall.

Figure 11. Height of Polygon 3

Figure 11 shows how the height of polygon 3 was found, which was, again, simply

0.5 e subtracting 1 ft from the previous height.

tan(10) =
12.5 cos ( 10 )2

e = 2tan(10)(12.5cos(10) - 2) 3.64 ft

Figure 12. Side Length of Polygon 3

 Frazier-Rahman 8
The side length of polygon 3 was found in figure 12 to be about 3.64 ft. This

measurement was found using the tangent function.

1
A= (10.31)(18)(3.64)
2

337.38 ft
Figure 13. Area of Polygon 3

Figure 13 depicts the equation with measurements plugged in to calculate the area of

polygon 3, which was about 337.38 ft.

Figure 14. Measurements for Polygon 4

Figure 14 shows the measurements found in polygon 4. Polygon 4 is octadecagon where

h = 12.5cos(10) 2 - 1 = 12.5cos(10) - 3 9.31 ft the foundation ends and within polygon 4

is the aquarium.

Figure 15. Height of Polygon 4

 Frazier-Rahman 9
Figure 15 shows that the height of polygon 4 was obtained by subtracting 1 ft from the

height of the previous polygon, which was polygon 3.

0.5 g
tan(10) =
12.5 cos ( 10 )3

g = 2tan(10)(12.5cos(10) - 3) 3.28 ft

Figure 16. Side Length of Polygon 4

The side length of polygon 4 was found in figure 16 to be about 3.28 ft using the tangent

function yet again.

1
A= (9.31)(18)(3.28) 275.11
2

ft
Figure 17. Area of Polygon 4

Figure 17 shows the equation and the values used to find the area of polygon 4 which was

about 275.11 ft.

 Frazier-Rahman 10
Volume of the Concrete Needed for the Footing and the Floor

The foundation that the tower will be built upon will be shaped like the tower, so the

foundation of the tower will be an octadecagon. The foundation will be 3.5 ft deep and will be

made of concrete so the tower is strongly supported. The foundation, as mentioned earlier, will

extend from polygon 1 to polygon 4, and within polygon 4, the aquarium will reside as you have

requested. As specified, the aquarium space will only be 75% full of water, and the aquarium will

be home for whichever sea creatures are chosen to reside there. Above the aquarium, a Plexiglas

floor that is 4 inches thick will be placed and you can walk over the aquarium, look down into it,

and be mesmerized by the beautiful fish that swim below. The effects, we hope, will be most

grandeur and stunning.

 Frazier-Rahman 11
Figure 18. Illustration of Foundation and Measurements

Figure 18 shows an illustration of the foundation of the tower and its measurements. The

volume of the foundation can be found by multiplying the ring of the foundation, which stretches
A = 480.97 - 275.11 205.86 ft
from polygon 1 to polygon 4, by the height of the
V = 205.86 3.5 720.51 ft
foundation, which is 3.5 ft.

Figure 19. Volume of the Foundation

Figure 19 shows the calculations to find the volume of the foundation. The area of the

ring was found by subtracting the area of polygon 4 from the area of polygon 1. The area was

approximated to about 205.86 ft and this area was multiplied by the height of 3.5 ft to get a

volume of about 720.51 ft for the foundation.

The concrete company that is installing the concrete charges $115 per cubic yard of

concrete. All measurements presented thus far have been in feet, and the volume of the

C = 720.51 115/27 $3068.84 foundation found in figure 19 was in cubic feet. To

convert cubic feet into cubic yards, you simply divide

by 27.

Figure 20. Cost Analysis for Concrete

Figure 20 shows the process which was used to find the cost of concrete for the

foundation of the tower. The volume of the foundation was multiplied by 115 because it cost

$115.00 for each cubic yard and it was divided by 27 to convert the cubic feet into cubic yards.

The concrete company will be charging $3068.84 to install the concrete foundation. This is a lot
 Frazier-Rahman 12
of money, but your financial status deems you more than capable of paying this fee, which must

be very miniscule for you.

Figure 21. Measurements for Plexiglas Floor

Figure 21 is a visual of the Plexiglas floor that will be on top of the aquarium so you can

walk over it. The Plexiglas floor will be 4 inches thick, or 1/3 ft thick, and is polygon 4. This

means that the volume can be easily calculated by simply multiplying the area of the base, which

is polygon 4, by the height of the Plexiglas, which is 1/3 inches thick.

V = 275.11/3 91.70 ft

Figure 22. Volume of Plexiglas Floor

 Frazier-Rahman 13
Figure 22 shows how the volume of the Plexiglas floor was found. It was found by

multiplying the area of polygon 4, which was about 275.11, by the height of 1/3 ft, and the

volume of the Plexiglas floor was found to be about 91.70 ft.

The Plexiglas company installing the Plexiglas floor charges $1100 for a 48 x 96 x 4

sheet of Plexiglas. These measurements are all in inches, and as stated before, all measurements

are in feet. To convert inches into feet, you divide by 12 for each single unit and to get the size of
S = 1100 91.7/(32/3)
the Plexiglas sheet that the company is selling. The size
$9456.76
of the Plexiglas sheets that the company is selling is 4 x

8 x 1/3. This means that one sheet of Plexiglas is 32/3 ft.

Figure 23. Cost Analysis for Plexiglas Floor

Figure 23 shows the steps used to find how much it would cost to pay the Plexiglas

company to install the Plexiglas floor. The cost was found by multiplying the volume of the

Plexiglas floor by 1100 for the cost, and then dividing by 32/3 to convert the units of the

Plexiglas floor sheets from inches to feet.

 Frazier-Rahman 14

Figure 24. Aquarium Measurements

Figure 24 shows the aquarium that goes under the Plexiglas floor. The blue part of the

aquarium is the water that fills up 75% of the tank and the white part is the empty part of the

tank. The aquarium combined with the Plexiglas floor add up to the height of the footing,

therefore, the height of the aquarium is equal to the height of the Plexiglas floor subtracted from

the height of the footing,

V = 2.375 275.11 = 42.75tan(10)(12.5cos(10)-3) ft 653.38
which is 3.5 - 1/3 = 19/6.
ft
The height of the aquarium is 19/6 ft. If the aquarium is to be only 75% full, then the height of

the aquarium up to the surface of the water will be 0.75 19/6 = 2.375. The height of the

water is 2.375 ft. This height will be multiplied by the area of polygon 4 to find the volume of

the water.

Figure 25. Volume of Water

Figure 25 above shows how the volume of the water, which filled only 75% of the tank,

was found. The height of the water, which was 2.375 ft, was multiplied by the area of Polygon 4,

which is about 275.11 ft. The volume was found to be approximately 653.38 ft.
 Frazier-Rahman 15
One Lateral Face of the Outer Prism Base

The height of the tower is to be twice as long as the length of one side of the outer prism,

which is polygon 2. This means that the height is 3.98 2 7.98, therefore, the height of the

tower is about 7.98 ft. The outer prism base is polygon 2.

The tower will have doors and windows, obviously. The door will be a 5x3 rectangle with

half the octadecagon above it, and the actual windows will be a full sized octadecagon.

Figure 26. Base of Outer Prism

Figure 26 shows the base of the outer prism, which has a side length of approximately

3.99 ft.
 Frazier-Rahman 16

Figure 27. Door, Half Polygon, and Lateral Face of Outer Prism

Figure 27 shows the door, the half polygon above the door, the triangle used to find the

measurements of the half polygon, and a full lateral face of the outer prism. The dimensions of

the door were 5x3 ft. The dimensions of the lateral face a width of about 3.99 ft, since one side

length of the outer prism was also a side length of polygon 2, and the height was twice the width,
 Frazier-Rahman 17
so it was about 7.98 ft. The area of one lateral face of the prism would therefore be A = 3.99

7.98 31.82 ft. The half polygon above the door wasnt so simple to find a side length for. Since

the polygon was maximized by vertices, here, the distance between opposite vertices were at the

endpoints of the door, so its length was 3 ft. Half that length is 1.5 ft, which was the

hypotenuse length of the right triangle used to find a

sin(10) = 2a/1.5
side length of the half polygon.
a = 3sin10 ft 0.52 ft

cos(10) = b/1.5

b = 1.5cos(10) 1.48 ft

1 1
A=( )( )(3cos(10))(1.5sin(10))
2 2

(18)

= 20.25sin(10)cos(10) ft 3.46 ft

Figure 28. Side Length, Height, and Area of Half Polygon

Figure 28 above shows the process in which the side length, the height, and the area of

the half polygon. The variable a represents the side length here, while the variable b represents

the height of the triangle. The area of the half polygon used the formula area equals half the

apothem times the perimeter, but multiplied in half

A = 3(5) + 3.46 18.46 ft
because we are finding the area of half of a polygon, not the full polygon. The side length of the

half polygon was found to be about 0.52 ft while the height of the half polygon was about 1.48 ft.

The area was found to be about 3.46 ft.

Figure 29. Area of the door

 Frazier-Rahman 18
In Figure 29, the area of the door was found by simply adding the area of the rectangle

and the area of the half polygon above it. The area of the door was found to be approximately

18.46 ft.
 Frazier-Rahman 19

Figure 30. Side Length and Area of Window

Figure 30 shows the side length and area of the window on a lateral face of the outer

prism, which was the same dimensions as the lateral face the door was on. The window is simply

a full version of the half polygon atop the rectangle on the door, so the area of the half polygon

was simply doubled to get a window area of approximately 6.93 ft.

The lateral surface area of the outer prism is found by multiplying one lateral face of the

SA = (31.82 18) 18.46 2(6.93) polygon by 18, since there are 18 sides, and

540.39 ft subtracting the area of one door and two

windows.

Figure 31. Surface Area of Outer Prism

 Frazier-Rahman 20
Figure 31 above shows how the surface area of the outer prism was found. The area of

one lateral face of about 31.82 was multiplied by 18 because there are 18 sides, and the area of

the door and both the windows were subtracted, leaving a surface area of about 540.39 ft.
 Frazier-Rahman 21
Volume of the Inner Base Prism

The volume of the inner base prism is simply how much space is within the interior of the

prism of the tower. The volume of the inner tower is found by multiplying the area of polygon 3

by the height of the prism, which is twice the height as polygon 2 as was previously found to be

about 7.98 ft since the height of polygon 2 was about 3.98 ft, and 3.98 2 7.98, and

therefore, the height of the prism is about 7.98 ft.

Figure 32. Polygon for Inner Prism Base

Figure 32 above shows the polygon used for the base of the inner prism, which was

polygon 3. One side length of polygon 3 was about 3.64 ft, as found earlier.
 Frazier-Rahman 22

Figure 33. Lateral Face of Inner Prism

Figure 33 above shows the measurements of the lateral face of the inner prism. The side

length of one lateral face was also the side length of the polygonal base of the inner prism, which

V = 337.38 7.98 2691.30 was found to be approximately 3.64 ft. The height of the

ft lateral face is twice the side length of polygon 2, as found

earlier as the height of a lateral face of the outer prism.

Figure 34. Volume of Inner Prism

 Frazier-Rahman 23
Figure 34 above shows the volume of the inner prism. The area of polygon 3 was

multiplied by the height of the prism, and the volume was found to be approximately 2691.30 ft.
 Frazier-Rahman 24
Pyramid Top of the Outer Pyramid Showing its Height and Slant Height

The roof for the tower, by your request, is a regular 18 sided pyramid with side lengths

same as polygon 2. The base of the outer pyramid roof is simply the top base of the outer prism.

Figure 35. Labeling of pyramidal roof.

Figure 35 illustrates the roof and the various measurements within it, including the

height, slant height, a side length of the base, a height of the base, and the angle formed between

the roof and the base of the pyramid.

2tan(10)(12.5cos(10)-1) 3 = 6tan(10)(12.5cos(10)-1) ft
11.97 ft
Figure 36. Height of Roof.

Figure 36 above shows how the height of the roof was found. This was found by taking

the length of a side of the base (polygon 2) and multiplying it by 3. From there we can use that to

find the slant height of the roof.

 Frazier-Rahman 25

11.972+11.312 = Slant Height2

Slant height2 = 143.28+127.916 = 271.095

Slant Height 16.46 ft

Figure 37. Slant height of roof.

Figure 37 shows how the slant height of the roof was found. The leg lengths were

plugged into the Pythagorean Theorem and then simplified. Both sides were square rooted and

the slant height was found to be about 16.46 ft

tan-1(11.97/11.31) = m D

m D 46.61

Figure 38. Measure of Angle D.

Figure 38 above shows how to find the measure of angle D, the angle that is created

between the roof and the base of the pyramid. To find this, the inverse tangent function was used

for the opposite and adjacent side lengths. The angle measure was found to be about 46.61.
 Frazier-Rahman 26
One Lateral Face of the Outer Pyramid

The lateral face of the outer pyramid is the triangle formed between the apex of the

pyramid and two consecutive vertices of the base. The focus of this section is the lateral section

of the pyramid.

Figure 39. Labeling of Inner pyramid.

Figure 39 shows the various measurements necessary to find area of a lateral face and the

lateral surface area of the pyramid, including the slant height, a polygonal side length, a side

length divided by 2, and the angle measures of the lateral triangular face that will need to be

found. The length of the slant height and the side lengths of the base of the pyramid are already

known but the angle measures are what need to be found.

 Frazier-Rahman 27

m A = tan-1(16.47/1.99) 83.10
Figure 40. Measure of Angle A.

Figure 40 shows how to find the measure of angle A. This was done by using inverse

tangent of the opposite and adjacent lengths. Since the lateral face is an isosceles triangle, the

angle on the other side is also equal to the measure of angle A.

m B/2) = tan-1(1.99/16.47)

m B = 2tan-1(1.99/16.47) 13.78
Figure 41. The Measure of Angle B.

Figure 41 shows how the angle measure of angle B was found. This was done using the

inverse tangent function of angle B. The measure of angle B is approximately 13.78.

A = (1/2)(Base)(Height) = (1/2)(3.99)

(16.47) 32.84 ft2

Figure 42. Area of Lateral Face.

Figure 42 shows how the area of one triangle of the 18 on the surface of the pyramidal

roof was found. The side length of the pyramid was the base and the slant height of the pyramid

was the height. The area of one lateral face was found to be about 32.84 ft.

SA = (32.84)(18) 591.04 ft2

Figure 43. Surface Area of the Roof.

Figure 43 shows how to find the surface area of the roof by multiplying the area of one

triangle found above by 18, since that is the number of sides on the pyramid base. The surface

area of the pyramid roof is approximately 591.04 ft.

 Frazier-Rahman 28
Pyramid Top of the Inner Pyramid showing the Height of the Inner Pyramid

The base of the inner pyramid is polygon 3, the same base as the inner prism. The height

of the pyramid, similar to the height of the outer pyramid, is the 3 times the length of one side of

the pyramids base.

Figure 44. Inner Pyramid

Figure 44 shows the inner pyramid, which is associated with polygon 3. Various

measurements, which are already known, are included, such as the height of the base and the side

length of the pyramid. Similar to the outer pyramid, the side length of the base multiplied by 3

yields the measurement of the pyramid height, and the slant height can also be easily found using

the Pythagorean Theorem. The measure of Angle E can be found using inverse trigonometric

functions, specifically inverse tangent.

3 2tan10(12.5cos10-2) = 6tan(10)(12.5cos(10)-2) ft 10.91

ft
Figure 45. Height of Inner Pyramid.
 Frazier-Rahman 29
Figure 45 shows how the height of the inner pyramid is found. The height is 3 times the

length of a side of polygon 3, which is about 10.91 ft.

V = (1/3)(Height)(Area of base)

= (1/3)(10.91)(337.38) 1226.67 ft3

Figure 46. Volume of Inner Pyramid.

Figure 46 shows how to find the volume of the inner pyramid. To do this, the height of

the inner pyramid from earlier in this part was multiplied by the area of polygon 3 from part two,

which was then was divided by three. The volume of the inner pyramid was found to be about

1226.67 ft.
 Frazier-Rahman 30
Our Tower

Figure 47. Outer Tower Model

Figure 47 shows a picture of the finished tower model. All calculations for the tower have

SA = 540.39 + 591.04 ft 1131.43 ft been completed, all that is left are the final tower

measurements.

Figure 48. Surface Area of Outer Tower

Figure 48 shows how the surface area of the outer tower was found, which was by simply

adding the surface area of the outer prism (excluding the door and the two windows) to the
V = 2691.30 + 1226.67 3917.97 ft
surface area of the outer pyramid. This yields an outer

tower surface area of about 1131.43 ft.

Figure 49. Volume of the Inner Tower

 Frazier-Rahman 31
Figure 49, above, shows how the volume of the inner tower was found, which was by

simply adding the volume of the inner prism and the volume of the inner pyramid. The final

volume of the inner tower was found to be approximately 3917.97 ft.

Conclusion

Overall, this tower was a great challenge for our greatest architects, Nathan Frazier and

Taif Rahman, to design. Several errors have occurred when calculating measurements, such as

going in 1 ft for each polygon of the bases from the angles instead of the heights, but thankfully,

our boss caught the mistake and allowed us to fix it. We also used incorrect numbers when

making calculations, as there are many different values that were calculated. No one is totally

perfect, but if you try enough, the end result will be, and we hope this magnificently large tower

is perfect enough for you. If you are satisfied with the measurements of this tower, we may

proceed to building it and enjoy the fruits of our labor.

The location you chose for the tower to be built, next to the Macomb Mathematics

Science Technology Center (also known as MMSTC), has attracted much attention and lots of

talk. The freshmen math teacher at that very fine STEM school, Mr. Scot Acre, was greatly

inspired by the tower, and fascinated with the intricacy of all the numbers and math that went

into the tower, as he is a geometry teacher. He has asked permission to assign a project to his

freshmen class for their final project of this year and all the next, by assigning groups of 2 an

individual variation of the tower with different number of sides, values, and measurements. Hed

like to have his students build a scale model write a detailed paper similar to this, ultimately

enriching his students in the fine arts of geometry and trigonometry. Allowing Mr. Acre to assign

a project such as this would benefit each one of his students with the knowledge of trigonometry

and have a lasting impact on the rest of their lives and future careers. I highly recommend in
 Frazier-Rahman 32
doing so. We will conclude with the thought that we very much hope that you are satisfied with

the tower, and that you proceed to build such a magnificent structure, along with paying us for

our efforts.