Tower

Greg Fehmer
Seth Fillar

9C GAT
Mr. Acre
6-1-15
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Introduction

With all due respect, madam, I believe that you are one hundred percent nuts. That being

said, it would be an honor to design your tower, Mrs. Copeland. As long as Im not one of the

poor men out working to build this thing, I have no problem designing it. I have only one

question. Your letter included the words vacation home and Antarctica in the same sentence.

Correct me if Im wrong, but dont people usually vacation in warmer climates, to relax? Not

only that, but theres nothing to do in Antarctica! Youd be completely cut off from the outside

world!

I know its not my job to question your destination decisions, so dont take this the wrong

way. I just think youre crazy.

But enough of that. You are offering a substantial amount of money to the one most

capable of designing your tower, and I feel Im up to the challenge. Your letter clearly states that

you desire an XXXXX tower, built upon a square plot of icy tundra twenty-seven feet in

length. You said that you want it to be the maximum size possible, whilst remaining within the

boundaries of buildable space and remaining perpendicular in some way shape or form to the

available plot. You want an aquarium built into the flooring, strong foundations, and walls one

foot in thickness. You also presented multiple sizing requirements, as well as many other

standards that must be met.

Your tower, Mrs. Copeland, is a daunting project. It will require every second of my

time, every ounce of my effort, and every cell in my brain to complete. I sincerely hope that you

are pleased by the end result.

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The 20 Sided Polygon Maximized on the Plot

The polygon used as the base of the tower is a 20-sided polygon (icosagon). The plot of

land is 32 ft x 32 ft, but local rules wont allow us to build within 3 ft of the boundries. The

tower will be built on foundations the same shape as the tower, a 20-gon. The foundations will

be the maximum size possible on the plot, without breaking local rules. The tower will be 1 foot

in from the edge, with walls 1 foot thick. The foundations will end 1 foot inside of the inner

edge of the wall.

When drawn, this setup create creates four concentric polygons, each 1 foot further in

than the previous.

Figure 1. Aerial View of Polygons

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Figure 1 shows all four of the polygons, within the limits of the square. The plot size was

32 ft x 32 ft, with nothing able to be built within 3 ft of the edges. Because of this, the building

area is 26 ft x 26 ft (32 minus 3 from each side, 32 6). Since the polygons are 20-sided, the

central angle is 18 degrees (360/20). This means each angle measure must be 162 degrees (180

18).

To maximize the size of the outer polygon, one side of the 20-gon must touch each side

of the smaller square. If vertices were touching the shape would be slightly smaller, then it

wouldnt be the required maximum size.

Figure 2. First Polygon Measurements

Figure 2 shows the outermost 20-gon without its border. Now we must find the area.

The first step is to find the side length of the 20-gon (a in Figure 2) and find the height of each

triangle that the shape is split into (b in Figure 2).

26/2

b=13 ft
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Figure 3. Finding the Triangle Height of Polygon 1

Figure 3 shows how to find the triangle height of Polygon 1. The height of the right

triangle in Figure 2 (c), is 13 ft because it is half of the side of the smaller square, since the sides

are touching.

tan(9) = (a/2)/13

13*tan(9) = a/2

26*tan(9) = a

a 4.12 ft

Figure 4. Finding the Side of Polygon 1

Figure 4 shows the steps to find the side of Polygon 1. The smallest angle in the right

triangle is 9 degrees, because it is half of 18 degrees. We used tangent to find the approximate

length of the side.

A 20(1/2)(4.12)(13)

A 535.34 ft2

Figure 5. Finding the Area of Polygon 1

Figure 5 shows steps to find the area of Polygon 1. We took the area of the whole

triangle in Figure 2, using A=(base)(height), and multiplied it by 20, since there are 20 of those

triangles in the 20-gon. The area of the whole polygon is about 535.34 ft2. It should be noted

that every rounded answer plugged into an equation was not calculated with the rounded form,

the exact values for each number were used. All values in the paper will be shown the same way.
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Figure 6. Second Polygon Measurements

Figure 6 shows Polygon 2, as well as the two triangles needed for finding its area.

b = 13 1

b = 12 ft

Figure 7. Finding the Triangle Height of Polygon 2

Figure 7 shows how to find the triangle height of Polygon 2. Since each polygon must be

1 foot from the previous one, we just had to subtract 1 from the previous triangle height to find

the new height.

tan(9) (a/2)/12

12*tan(9) a/2

24*tan(9) a

a 3.80 ft

Figure 8. Finding the Side of Polygon 2

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Figure 8 displays the process used to find the side length of Polygon 2. We used the

tangent to find the side length again.

A 20(1/2)(3.80)(12)

A 456.15 ft2

Figure 9. Finding the Area of Polygon 2

Again, the area of the polygon was found by taking the area of one triangle and

multiplying it by 20. The area is approximately 456.15 ft2.

Figure 10. Third Polygon Measurements

Figure 10 shows Polygon 3, as well as the two triangles needed for finding its area.

b = 12 1

b = 11 ft

Figure 11. Finding the Triangle Height of Polygon 3

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Figure 11 shows how to find the triangle height of Polygon 3. Again, we needed to

subtract 1 from the previous height.

tan(9) (a/2)/11

11*tan(9) a/2

22*tan(9) a

a 3.48 ft

Figure 12. Finding the Side of Polygon 3

Figure 12 shows how to find the side of Polygon 3. Again, we used tangent to find it.

A 20(1/2)(3.48)(11)

A 383.29 ft2

Figure 13. Finding the Area of Polygon 3

Again, the area of the polygon was found by taking the area of one triangle and

multiplying it by 20. The area is approximately 383.29 ft2.

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Figure 14. Fourth Polygon Measurements

Figure 14 shows Polygon 4, as well as the two triangles needed for finding its area.

b = 11 1

b = 10 ft

Figure 15. Finding the Triangle Height of Polygon 4

Figure 15 shows how to calculate the height of the Polygon 4 triangle. We just subtracted

1 again.

tan(9) (a/2)/10

10*tan(9) a/2

20*tan(9) a

a 3.17 ft

Figure 16. Finding the Side of Polygon 4

Figure 16 shows how to find the side of Polygon 4. We used tangent again to find the

height.

A 20(1/2)(3.17)(10)

A 316.77 ft2

Figure 17. Finding the Area of Polygon 4

Figure 17 shows how to find the area of Polygon 4. Just find the area of the triangle, and

multiply it by 18. The area is approximately 316.77 ft2.

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Volume of the Concrete Needed for the Footing and the Floor

The tower will be set on foundations the same shape as the tower itself. These will be 3.5

ft deep and made of solid concrete. They will extend from Polygon 1 to Polygon 4. Within the

foundations (Polygon 4), there will be an aquarium with many types of fish. The floor above this

aquarium will be made of 4-inch Plexiglas, so anyone walking in the tower can view the fish

below. The water in the aquarium will fill exactly 75% of the total volume within the

foundations.

Figure 18. Foundations Diagram and Measurements

Figure 18 shows the foundations of the tower. Now we must find the volume. First, we

must find the area of the ring that the foundations are made in, which stretches from Polygon 1 to

Polygon 4. Then the volume can be found by simply multiplying that area by 3.5, since they are

3.5 ft deep.

A 535.34 316.77
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A 218.57ft2

Figure 19. Finding the Area of the Foundations

In Figure 19, the area of the foundations was found. All we had to do was subtract the

area of Polygon 4 (Figure 17) from Polygon 1 (Figure 5), which ended up being approximately

218.57 ft2.

V 218.57(3.5)

V 765 ft3

Figure 20. Finding the Volume of the Foundations

Finding the volume of the foundations easy. The area of the foundations just had to be

multiplied it by 3.5, which is how deep they will go. The volume of the foundations was found

to be about 765 ft3.

The concreate company sells bags of concrete for $115. Each bag contains exactly 1

cubic yard of concrete. We need to know how many cubic yards of concrete are needed to lay the

foundations. The volume is currently in cubic feet, so we need to convert it.

V 765/3

V 255 yd3

Figure 21. Converting Cubic Feet Volume to Cubic Yard Volume

There are exactly 3 ft3 for every 1 yd3, so we just divided the volume of the foundations

(in ft3) by 3 in order to get the volume in yd3. This volume is approximately 255 yd3, so we need

255 bags of concrete. The cost is now easy to find.

C = 255*115

C = $29,325.88

Figure 22. Cost Analysis of the Foundations

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By multiplying the number of bags of concrete by the cost of one bag, we found the total

amount of money that the foundations will cost to be $29,325.88.

Now we need to find the volume of the Plexiglas floor.

Figure 23. Plexiglas Diagram and Measurements

Figure 23 shows the Plexiglas floor. It is 4 in thick (1/3 ft). Since it goes up Polygon 4, it

has the same measurements as Polygon 4. We have all the necessary measurements to find the

volume.

V (1/3)(316.77)

V 105.59 ft3

Figure 24. Finding the Volume of the Plexiglas Floor

To find the volume of the Plexiglas, we just had to multiply the area of Polygon 4 (Figure

17) by 1/3, since the Plexiglas is 1/3 ft, or 4 in, thick.

The Plexiglas Company sells sheets that are 4 ft x 8 ft. The sheets are 4 inches thick,

which is what is requested, so we wont need to account for thickness. Since each sheet is 4 ft x

8 ft, the area of one sheet is 32 ft2. Each sheet will costs $1,100. Now we need to calculate how

many Plexiglas sheets are necessary to complete the floor above the aquarium.
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P 316.77/32

P 9.90

P = 10 sheets

Figure 25. Finding the Number of Plexiglas Sheets Necessary

We divided the area of Polygon 4 by the area of one of the Plexiglas sheets to find the

number of sheets we need for the floor. We rounded up because you cant buy a part of a sheet.

C = 10*1100

C = $11,000

Figure 26. Cost Analysis of the Plexiglas

We need to order 10 sheets, each $1,100, and so the amount of money the Plexiglas will

cost is $11,000.

Lastly, we want to know how much water will fit in the aquarium, if it is 75% full.

Figure 27. Aquarium Diagram and Measurements

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We need to determine how much water will fill the aquarium, if we want it 75% full.

There are numerous ways in which I could accomplish this, but I choose the following:

The height of the aquarium is 3.5 ft, since thats the height of foundations. We want the

water to fill up of the aquarium. So, the height of the water level needs to be 2.625 ft

(3.5*(3/4)). To find the volume of the water, we just multiply the area of Polygon 4 it by 2.625.

V 316.77(2.625)

V 831.59 ft3

Figure 28. Calculating the Volume of the Water in the Aquarium

The amount of water in the aquarium was calculated to be approximately xxxxx ft3.
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One Lateral Face of the Outer Prism Base

Each of the 20 walls of our tower will be twice as tall as they are wide. Since these walls

are place on Polygon 2, we know their width will be the same as the side length of Polygon 2.

There will be one door and two windows placed on the tower. The door will be made of a

5 ft x 3 ft rectangle with half of a 20-gon above it. The windows will have the same dimensions

as the half-polygon on the door, except they will be full.

Figure 29. Polygon of the Outer Prism

Figure 29 shows Polygon 2, which is the polygon that will contain the walls. Each side

of Polygon 2 is approximately 3.80 ft.

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Figure 30. Lateral Face and Door Diagram and Measurements

Figure 30 shows one of the lateral faces of the outer prism on the tower. The dimensions

of one face are 3.80 ft (the side of Polygon 2) by 7.60 ft (the side of Polygon 2 times 2, because

each side must be twice as tall as it is wide). The door, on the other hand, had dimensions which

are a bit trickier to find.

c = 2(1.5*tan(9))

c 0.48 ft

Figure 31. Finding the Side of the Top of the Door

We know the apothem (distance from center to a side) of the door top is 1.5, because the

length from one side to an opposite side must be 3 so it fits on the door. This will maximize the

area that the polygon-half can have, and will maximize the height of the door. Tangent was used

once again to find the side of the polygon, which was calculated to be approximately 0.48 ft.
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A 3(5) + (1/2)(20)(1/2)(0.48)(1.5)

A 15 + 3.57

A 18.56 ft2

Figure 32. Finding the Area of the Door

To find the area of the door, we had to do add the area of the rectangle with the area of

the half-polygon. The rectangle was just base times height. The area of the polygon was found

using the same method as the area of the base polygons. The only difference we halved the

answer we got, because only half of the polygon is on the door. The total area of the door came

out to be about 18.56 ft2.

Figure 33. Lateral Face and Window Diagram and Measurements

The dimensions of the lateral face for the window are the same as the dimensions for the

lateral face of the door. The window has the same dimensions as the top of the door. .
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A 20(1/2)(0.48)(1.5)

A 7.13 ft2

Figure 34. Finding the Area of the Window

Because all the measurements were found when finding the area of the door, all that was

necessary was to do was plug the numbers in together. The area of the window is about 7.13 ft2.

Finally, we need to find the lateral surface area of the entire bottom prism of the tower.

Also, we need to subtract the areas for the door and the windows.

LSA 20(3.80)(7.60) (18.57 + 2(7.13))

LSA 577.93 32.82

LSA 545.16 ft2

Figure 35. Finding the Lateral Surface Area of the Outer Prism

We found the surface area of the prism by multiplying the width times the height for each

side of the prism, and multiplying that by 20. Then we subtracted the values for the door and the

two windows, to get a lateral surface area of approximately 545.16 ft2.

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Volume of the Inner Base Prism

Now we need to find the volume of the inner prism. This prism can be thought of as the

space within the walls, which are in Polygon 3.

Figure 36. Polygon of the Inner Prism

As Polygon 2 was used for the outer prism, Polygon 3 will be used for the inner prism.

Each side was previously calculated to be approximately 3.48 ft.

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Figure 37. Lateral Face Diagram and Measurements

Figure 37 displays one lateral face of the inner prism. Its width is the same as the side

length of Polygon 3 (because that is where the inner prism resides), and the height is the same as

the outer prism.

V 383.29(7.60)

V 2,913.95 ft3

Figure 38. Finding the Volume of the Inner Prism

To find the volume of the inner prism, I simply took the area of Polygon 3 (found in

Figure 13) and multiplied it by the height of 7.60 ft. The total volume of the inner prism is about

2,913.95 ft3.
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Pyramid Top of the Outer Pyramid Showing the Height of the Outer Pyramid and the

Slant Height of One Lateral Face of the Outer Pyramid

Now we need to work on the roof of the tower. This will be made of a pyramid, with the

same number of sides as the base polygon. The height of this outer pyramid must be 3 times the

length of one side of its base. The outer pyramid will be in Polygon 2.

Figure 39. Outer Pyramid Diagram and Measurements

Figure 39 shows the base of the outer pyramid, along with one of the lateral faces of the

pyramid. Some of the measurements in Figure 39 area already known, such as a and b. These

measurements have already been found when calculating the measurements of Polygon 2. The

value for d can also be easily found by multiplying the side of the polygon (a) by 3, since the

pyramid will be exactly three times as high as one side of its base. The last two values, c and ,

will take some calculations.

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c (122 + 11.402)

c (169 + 130.04)

c 274.04

c 16.55 ft

Figure 40. Finding the Slant Height of the Outer Pyramid

To find the slant height of the outer pyramid, we used the right triangle formed by the

apothem of the base and the height of the pyramid. By using the Pythagorean Theorem, we were

able to calculate the slant height to be about 16.55 ft.

tan-1(11.40/12)

43.54

Figure 41. Finding the Angle between the Prism Base and the Pyramid Face

Using tangent, and turning that into inverse tangent, we were able to find the angle of the

apothem and the slant height. It is approximately 43.54.

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One Lateral Face of the Outer Pyramid

We now need to find the lateral surface area of the outer pyramid, along with few other

things.

Figure 42. Diagram and Measurements of One Lateral Face

Both the base and the height of the triangular lateral face have been found. The unknown

angle measures need to be calculated.

tan-1(16.55/(3.80/2))

83.45

Figure 43. Finding the Base Angle of the Triangular Lateral Face
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Using inverse tangent, with measurements we found previously, the base angles were

calculated to be about 83.09.

2(tan-1((3.80/2)/16.55))

13.10

Figure 44. Finding the Angle at the Top of the Triangular Lateral Face

Again, we used inverse tangent to find the last angle of the triangular face of the pyramid.

Now we must calculate the lateral surface area.

LSA 20(1/2)(3.80)(16.55)

LSA 629.27 ft2

Figure 45. Finding the Lateral Surface Area of the Outer Pyramid

To get the lateral surface area we had to find the area of one lateral face and multiply it by

20. The base of the face was 3.80 ft, and the height was 16.55 ft, making the lateral surface area

approximately 629.27 ft2.

Pyramid Top of the Inner Pyramid Showing the Height of the Inner Pyramid

The inner pyramid will be in Polygon 3, just like the inner prism. The height of the inner

pyramid must be three times the length of one side of its base, like the outer pyramid. We mu

find the volume of the inner pyramid.

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Figure 46. Inner Pyramid Diagram and Measurements

Once again, the measurements for the base of the pyramid, a and b, are the same as the

measurements of Polygon 3. Finding the height, d, was a simple matter of multiplying the side

by 3.

V (1/3)(383.29)(10.45)

V 1,335.56 ft3

Figure 47. Finding the Volume of the Inner Pyramid

Using the pyramid volume formula: V = (1/3)(area of base)(height), we found the volume

of the inner pyramid to be approximately 1,335.56 ft3.

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My Tower

So now everything is complete! Everything is calculated, and all that is left is to put it all

together.

Figure 48. The Completed Tower

Figure 48 simply shows the completed tower

SA 545.16 + 629.27

SA 1,174.42 ft2

Figure 49. Calculating the Total Surface Area

In Figure 49, we just added together the two surface areas found previously (in Figures

35 and 45). The total surface area of our tower is approximately 1,174.42 ft2.

V 2,913.95 + 1,335.56

V 4,249.51 ft3

Figure 50. Calculating the Total Volume

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In Figure 50, we just added together the two volumes found previously (in Figures 38 and

47). The total volume of our tower is approximately 4,249.51 ft3.

Conclusion

Throughout the course of these calculations, I encountered no issues. Everything went

smoothly and exactly as planned.

I truly hope, Ms. Copeland, that you find my tower design to be pleasing. With 2,103.93

ft3 to work with, you could make a very spacious and elegant interior to your tower. Also, with

760.86 ft2 of space to decorate outside of the tower, Im sure you can come up with some

wonderful decoration ideas (one of which I present to you on my scale model). Your tower will

truly be the greatest tower in all of Antarctica!

With that, I will end this paper. I would be extremely grateful if you chose my tower

design for yourself (along with giving me that plentiful amount of money in return). Thank you.

Sincerely,