I am fascinated by Mount Rushmore. First of all, the fact that during the great depression, funding and technology allowed for 60-foot likenesses to be carved into a granite mountain face is incredible to me. Apparently, I am not the only one. According to the Wikipedia site for Mount Rushmore, over 2 million people visit Mount Rushmore each year.
But, let’s turn our fascination to the incredible opportunities that we have with these carvings to look at. What kind of math can we do with four gigantic granite carvings of four dead presidents? (Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, T. Roosevelt)
I suspect a lot.
First question that sticks out in my mind: What would the Mount Rushmore George Washington’s hat size be?
How tall would Abe Lincoln be if his face where really that big? Or how tall would his signature top hat be?
Jefferson is on the American nickel, right? How big would a nickel be to fit the Mount Rushmore Jefferson head on it? How much would that nickel be worth? Certainly more than 5 cents.
Or what if Roosevelt sneezed? Just askin’…
Can you think of any other questions? Or can you answer any of my curiosities?
Add your flavor to the comments.
Also located in the Black Hills of South Dakota is the Crazy Horse Memorial http://www.crazyhorsememorial.org/. Does TheGeometryTeacher have any mathematical curiosities about this mountain carving?