Tower Project

Joe Kovac and Mackenzie Nitz

Mr. Acre 9C GAT

26 May 2016
 Kovac - Nitz 1

Introduction:

While we can't see why anyone would want to have a 14-sided tower, we will comply

with the guide lines given to us. The tower was requested to have 14 sides on a square plot of 41

feet. While the plot size was 41 by 41 feet, the building was limited on either side. No part of the

tower could be any closer to the edges of the plot than exactly three feet, making the new

dimensions the of plot 35 by 35 feet. To maximize the size of this tower, 2 of the vertices were

placed on the new edges of the plot, three feet in on either side.

Other requirements of this tower require that it be made of Plexiglass and concrete. The

Plexiglass will be used to create an aquarium type floor so that you can see through the floor, to

create the feeling of being on the ocean. The Plexiglass will also be created to make 2 14-sided

windows. The concrete will be used to create the footing, base, and top pyramid of the tower, as

well as the door.

We will do our very best to create the perfect tower and hope that it is exactly as you had

hoped.
 Kovac - Nitz 2

Part Two: My 14 Sided Polygon Maximized on My Plot

Figure 1. Base of Tower

Figure 1, above, shows the base of the tower when a 41 by 41-foot plot of land is given,

the polygon is needed to be a 14-gon, and the polygon must be as large as possible being no

closer than 3 feet to the edge of the plot. This is why the 14-gon is contained in a 35 by 35-foot

square. The largest polygon is 36 feet going from one vertex to the vertex that is directly

opposite.
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Figure 2. Drawings of The 4 Polygons

Figure 2, above, shows the polygons from Figure 1 individually. Each polygon is one

foot shorter for the length of the segment that goes from the midpoint of a side, to the center of

the polygon. The polygons get shorter going from left to right, so polygon one is the largest.

Central angle measure = 360°/number of sides

=360/14

≈ 25.71°

Figure 3. Central Angle of Polygons 1-4

Figure 3, above, shows how to find the central angle of the polygons. Since they are all

14-sided polygons the central angle measure is found by doing 360/14 which is approximately

25.71°.
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≈12.86°

≈25.71°
C

C 1/2A

B A

Figure 4. Polygon 1 Side Lengths

Figure 4, above, shows how polygon 1 will be split to find the side lengths that are

necessary to calculate the surface are of polygon 1. C is the hypotenuse of the triangle, B is the

height, and A is the length of the base of the triangle.

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𝐵
cos(𝑎𝑑𝑗𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒) =
𝐶

Cos(90/7)=B/17.5

Cos(90/7)=B/17.5

B=Cos(90/7)(17.5)

B≈17.06 ft

Figure 5. Height of Polygon 1 Triangle

Figure 5, above, shows how to find the height of the triangle for polygon 1. Cosine was

used since one segment is known and the angle of the vertex between line C (known) and B

(unknown) is known. The height is approximately 17.06 feet.

LengthPolygon2side=2(tan(reference angle)hypotenuse)

B=17.5

tan(90/7)=0.5A/B

tan(90/7)=0.5A/ Cos(90/7)(17.5)

0.5A= Cos(90/7)(17.5) tan(90/7)

A= 2(Cos(90/7)(17.5) tan(90/7))

Polygon 1 Side Length≈7.79 ft

Figure 6. Calculating Side Length of Polygon 1

Figure 6, above, shows how the side length of polygon 1 was calculated. The lone right

triangle was used in the calculation. All following calculations for polygon side lengths also refer

to the lone right triangle in the corresponding figure. B is the longer leg for this figure and

following figures to calculate the side length of the polygons. A is equal to the side length. For
 Kovac - Nitz 6

the lone right triangle, ½ A is calculated and then multiplied by 2. Numbers are rounded in the

figure, but exact values are used to calculate the length and then round it.

90/7°

180/7°
B

1/2A
A
B

Figure 7. Polygon 2

Figure 7, above, shows polygon 2 to scale. This time the length of B is known since it

just gets 1 foot shorter from the previous length of B at approximately 17.06 feet. This means

that we know the length of B is approximately 16.06 feet now. All that has to be found is A, the

side length of polygon 2.

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LengthPolygon2side=2(tan(reference angle)hypotenuse)

B≈16.06

tan(90/7)=0.5A/B

tan(90/7)=0.5A/(Heightpolygon1-1)

0.5A=tan(90/7)16.06

A= 2(tan(90/7)16.06)

Polygon 2 Side Length≈7.33 ft

Figure 8. Finding Side Length of Polygon 2

Figure 8, above, shows how to find the side length of one side of polygon 2. The length

of B is rounded in the figure but the actual value is used.

90/7°

B
180/7°

1/2A

B A

Figure 9. Polygon 3

Figure 9, above, shows Polygon 3 and the triangle necessary to find the surface area split

for visual appeal.

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LengthPolygon3side=2(tan(reference angle)hypotenuse)

B≈15.06 feet

tan(90/7)=0.5A/B

tan(90/7)=0.5A/15.06

0.5A=tan(90/7)15.06

A= 2(tan(90/7)15.06)

Polygon 3 Side Length≈ 6.88 ft

Figure 10. Finding Polygon 3 Side Length

Figure 10, above, shows how to find the side length of polygon 3. B is about 15.06 feet

since it is 2 feet shorter from polygon 1 which was approximately 17.06 feet. The lone right

triangle in Figure 9 was used to calculate the length of A. So when using tangent and the

opposite angle it is possible to find a side length with a known length and an opposite angle. The

answer however is once half of A, so it is multiplied by 2 and rounded to the hundredths. 6.88

feet is the rounded answer using exact numbers. The exact value will be used for following

problems
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90/7°

180/7°

1/2A
A
B

Figure 11. Polygon 4

Figure 11, above, shows polygon 4 broken up into the necessary pieces to calculate the

area of the polygon. The lone right triangle will be used to calculate the length of one side.
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LengthPolygon4side=2(tan(reference angle)hypotenuse)

B≈14.06 feet

tan(90/7)=0.5A/B

tan(90/7)=0.5A/14.06

0.5A=tan(90/7)14.06

A= 2(tan(90/7)14.06)

Polygon 4 Side Length≈ 6.42 ft

Figure 12. Length of Polygon 4 Side

Figure 12, above, shows how the length of a single side in polygon 4 was calculated. The

length of B in Polygon 4 is 3 feet less than the length of B in Polygon 1. So it is approximately

14.06 feet. Than the angle adjacent to B but opposite to ½ A is 90/7 degrees. In this situation

tangent is used to calculate the length. The answer is then multiplied by 2 so that we get A at

approximately 6.42 feet.

APolygon1=ATrianlge*14

A=((1/2)b*h)(14)

A=(1/2)(7.79)( 17.06)(14)

A=(66.4487)(14)

A≈930.14 ft2

Figure 14. Area of Polygon 1

Figure 14, above, shows how the area of polygon 1 was found. The area of the triangle

was found by using the height found in Figure 5 and the length of the base found in Figure 6.

The area of the triangle was multiplied by fourteen, because there are fourteen triangles within
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polygon 1. The area of polygon one was found to be approximately 930.282 feet squared.

APolygon2=ATriangle*14

A=((1/2)b*h)(14)

A=(1/2)(7.33)(16.06)(14)

A=(58.88)(14)

A≈824.30 ft2

Figure 15. Area of Polygon 2

Figure 15, above, shows how the area of polygon 2 was found. The area of the triangle

was found by using the height found in Figure 7 and the length of the base found in Figure 8.

The area of the triangle was multiplied by fourteen, because there are fourteen triangles within

polygon 2. The area of polygon one was found to be approximately 824.03 feet squared.

APolygon3=ATriangle*14

A=((1/2)b*h)(14)

A=(1/2)(6.88)(15.06)(14)

A=(51.78)(14)

A≈724.85 ft2

Figure 16. Area of Polygon 3

Figure 16, above, shows how the area of polygon 3 was found. The area of the triangle

was found by using the height found in Figure 10 and the length of the base also found in Figure

10. The area of the triangle was multiplied by fourteen, because there are fourteen triangles

within polygon 3. The area of polygon one was found to be approximately 724.235 feet squared.
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APolygon4=ATriangle*14

A=((1/2)b*h)(14)

A=(1/2)(6.42)(14.06)(14)

A= (≈645.13)(14)

A≈631.79 ft2

Figure 17. Area of Polygon 4

Figure 17, above, shows how the area of polygon 4 was found. The area of the triangle

was found by using the height found in Figure 12 and the length of the base also found in Figure

12. The area of the triangle was multiplied by fourteen, because there are fourteen triangles

within polygon 4. The area of polygon one was found to be approximately 614.141 feet squared.

Part 3: Volume of Footing, Plexiglass, and Aquarium

Figure 18. Footing, Floor, and Aquarium

Figure 18, above, shows the footing, floor, and aquarium going from left to right. The

footing is 3.5 feet deep. The floor of Plexiglass is 4 inches thick. The aquarium is 3 feet 2 inches

and it goes under the floor.

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VFooting=(APolygon1-APolygon4)(HFooting)

V=(930.138-631.791)(3.5)

V=(298.34)(3.5)

V=1044.21 ft3
Figure 19. Volume of the Footing

Figure 19, above, shows how the volume of the footing of the tower was found. The area

of polygon 4 was subtracted from the area of polygon 1, to find the area of one of the bases of

the footing. The area was then multiplied by 3.5, or the depth of the footing. The total volume of

the footing came out to be 1044.21 feet cubed.

VFloor=(APloygon4)(HFloor)

V=(631.791)(1/3)

V=210.60 ft3

Figure 20. Volume of the Floor

Figure 20, above, shows how the volume of the floor was found. The depth of the floor

had to be four inches but because all of calculations were done in feet, four inches was changed

into one third of a foot. The area of polygon 4 was then multiplied by one third to get 210.597

feet cubed.
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VAquarium=(APolygon4)(HAquarium)

V=(631.791)(38/12)(0.75)

V= 2000.67(0.75)

V=1500.50 ft3

Figure 21. Volume of the Aquarium Water

Figure 21, above, shows how the volume of the aquarium was found. The height of the

aquarium was found by doing the height of the footing, 3 feet, 6 inches, minus the height of the

floor, 4 inches, resulting in 3 feet and 2 inches, which can also be expressed by saying 38/12 feet.

The area of polygon 4 was then multiplied by the height of the aquarium to get the volume,

resulting in a volume of 2000.67 feet cubed. It was then multiplied by 0.75 to get the volume of

water in the aquarium if it was 75% full. The volume of water in the aquarium is 1473.04 ft2.

Volume of concrete footing: ≈1044.21 ft3

1044.21 ft3= 38.67 yd3

Cost per cubic yard: $115

115(39 yd3) = cost

Cost= $4,485.00

Figure 22. Cost of Concrete

Figure 22, above, shows how to find the cost of concrete. The price per cubic yard was

$115 but the area of the footing is in feet. A cubic yard is 27 times larger than a cubic foot, so

1044.21 ft3= 38.67 yd3. The yardage was then rounded to 39 yd3 since the company only dealt

with yards cubed at integer value. It was then multiplied by 115 to get the cost of $4,485.00
 Kovac - Nitz 15

Volume of Plexiglass: 210.60 ft3

Cost: $1100 per 18432 in3= 32/3 ft3

(210.60 ft3)/(32/3 ft3)=19.74

(20)($1100) ≈ 22000

Cost of Plexiglass ≈ $22,000

Figure 23. Cost of Plexiglass

Figure 23, above, shows the total cost of Plexiglass rounded to the hundredths. The cost

was $1100 per 32/3 ft2. Although rounded in the figure, the numbers used to calculate the exact

cost of the Plexiglass which was then rounded. The number 19.74 was rounded to 20 because the

amount of sheets need to be an integer value, so 20 sheets had to be bought, which totaled

$22,000.
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Part 4: One Lateral face of the Outer Prism Base

Side Length≈7.33 ft

Figure 24. Outer Prism Base

Figure 24, above, shows the base of the outer prism, which is polygon 2. The side length

is labeled.

≈14.66 ft

≈7.33 ft

Figure 25. Lateral face with Door.

Figure 25, above, shows a lateral face of the outer prism. We know that polygon 2 is used
 Kovac - Nitz 17

for the outer prism, so the base of all the lateral faces is equal to the side length of polygon 2 at

≈7.33 ft. The height of the lateral faces is doubled and rounded to ≈14.66 ft. The dimensions of

the lower portion of the door is 5’ by 3’. The upper portion of the door is half of a 14-gon lining

up with the lower part of the door so that it is 3 feet from one vertex to the opposite vertex.

Figure 26. Lateral Face with Window

Figure 26, above, shows a lateral face with a window included. The window is a 14-gon

that is 3 feet from vertex to vertex. Two of these windows will be included for the outer prism

and area subtracted from the lateral surface area

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90/7°

A
B
1/2A

Figure 27. Window

Figure 27, above, shows the window on the outer prism with a zoomed view. The

window is contained in a 3’ by 3’ box to show the length of a line from one vertex to another.

The lone right triangle will be used to calculate the area of the 14-gon window.
 Kovac - Nitz 19

H=1.5 feet

𝐵
cos(𝑎𝑑𝑗𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒) =
𝐻

Cos(90/7)=B/1.5

Cos(90/7)=B/1.5

B=Cos(90/7)(1.5)

B≈1.46 ft

Figure 28. Height of Triangle (B).

Figure 28, above, shows how the height of the hypotenuse triangle was found. The B

refers to the height while hypotenuse is represented with H.

LengthWindowside=2(tan(reference angle)hypotenuse)

B=1.5

tan(90/7)=0.5A/B

tan(90/7)=0.5A/ Cos(90/7)(1.5)

0.5A= Cos(90/7)(1.5) tan(90/7)

A= 2(Cos(90/7)(1.5) tan(90/7))

Window Side Length≈0.67 ft

Figure 29. Window Side Length

Figure 29, above, shows how the measure of the side length for the window was

calculated. It was multiplied by 2 because the answer was for the missing leg in the lone right

triangle.
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AreaWindow=14(1/2bhWindowtraingle)

=14(1/2)(0.67)(1.46)

≈6.83 ft2

Figure 30. Window Area

Figure 30, above, shows the area of 1 window calculated using the base and height of the

triangle that was previously calculated.

LSA=(ALateralSide)(14)

LSA= (b*h)(14)

LSA= ((7.33*2)(7.33))(14)

LSA=(107.509)(14)

LSA≈1505.13 ft2
Figure 31. Lateral Surface Area

Figure 31, above, shows the lateral surface area of the base without subtracting the area

of the door or windows was found by finding the area of one side and multiplying it by fourteen.

The base of the side is the side length of polygon 2, found in Figure 8 and the height was given

as twice the side length of polygon 2. Rounded numbers were used in the figure but exact

numbers were used when doing calculations. The lateral surface area, before subtracting the

windows and door, was found to be 1505.13 feet squared.

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LSA=1505.13 ft2-((2.5Areawindow)+15 ft2)

LSA=1505.13 ft2-(17.08+15)

LSA=1505.13 ft2-(32.08)

LSA≈1473.04 ft2

Figure 32. Final LSA of Outer Prism

Figure 32, above, shows how the final LSA of the outer prism was calculated. All

measurements are rounded in the figure, but exact numbers were used to calculate throughout.

First the LSA without any subtraction was calculated at about 1505.13 ft2. Then there was area to

subtract. The tower has a door and 2 windows. The rectangular part of the door was 15 ft2, since

its base is 3 feet and height 5 feet. Also, the upper part of the door is half of the area of the full

window with an additional 2 windows, so the area of the single window was multiplied by 2.5 to

get 17.08 ft2. The rectangular door section and the “2.5 windows” areas were added together and

then subtracted to get the final LSA area of about 1473.04 ft2.
 Kovac - Nitz 22

Part 5: Volume of The Inner Base Prism

≈6.88 ft

Figure 33. Polygon 3 Inner Prism Base

Figure 33, above, shows the base of the inner prism. The side length is indicated at its

approximate value and was already calculated in Figure 10.

≈14.66 ft

≈6.88 ft

Figure 34. Lateral Face of Inner Base Prism

Figure 34, above, shows one lateral face of the inner prism with the base and height

labeled. The dimensions of the face are known because the base of the face is equivilant to one
 Kovac - Nitz 23

side length of polygon 3. The height is known because it is twice the length of the side of

polygon 2.

VolumeInnerprism= (AreaPolygon3)(Heightinnerprism)

=(≈724.85 ft2)(14.66 ft)

≈10628.82 ft3

Figure 35. Volume of Inner Prism

Figure 35, above, shows the volume of the inner prism, which is base times the height.

The base is equal to the area of polygon 3, and the height is equal to 2 times the side length of

polygon 2. The volume of the inner prism is ≈10628.82 ft3.

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Part 6: Outer Pyramid

Slant Height
≈22 ft

Figure 36. Outer Pyramid

Figure 36, above, shows the base of the outer pyramid, polygon 2, and one lateral face

with the slant height and height shown.

Slant Height=Square Root ((HeightPolygon2Triangle)2+(HeightOuterPyramid)2)

SH=Square Root ((16.06)2+(22)2)

SH=√257.96 + 483.79

SH=√741.754

SH≈27.24 feet

Figure 37. Slant Height of the Outer Pyramid

Figure 37, above, shows how the slant height of the outer pyramid shown in Figure 36

was found. The Pythagorean Theorem was used, as the height of the pyramid and the base of the
 Kovac - Nitz 25

pyramid form a right angle. The slant height was found to be approximately 27.24 feet. The

numbers used in the figure were rounded but exact numbers were used to find the slant height.

Tan(A)=Opp/Adj

tan(A)=22/16.06

tan-1tan(A)= tan-1(22/16.06)

A= tan-1(22/16.06)

A≈ 53.86°

Figure 38. Outer Angle of the Outer Pyramid

Figure 38, above, shows how to find the angle measure found between the prism base

and the pyramid face found at the foot of the slant height. In this figure, let “Opp” represent the

length of the side opposite the angle, or the height of the pyramid and “Adj” represent the length

of the side adjacent to the angle. Also let “A” represent the measure of the angle in degrees.The

angle measure was found by using the tangent function. The numbers used in the figure were

rounded but exact numbers were used to find the angle measure. The angle measure was found to

be approximately 53.86 degrees.

 Kovac - Nitz 26

Part 7: Later Face of Outer Pyramid

=A°

≈27.24 ft

≈7.33 ft

=B°

Figure 39. Later Face of Outer Pyramid

Figure 39, above, shows one lateral face of the outer pyramid with the measurements

labeled and angle measures identified.

tan(1/2A)=3.67/27.24

tan-1tan(1/2A)= tan-1(3.67/27.24)

A= 2(tan-1(3.67/27.24))

A≈15.33°

Figure 40. Angle A

Figure 40, above, shows how angle A was calculated. The right triangle portion of the

outer pyramid face was used to calculate the angle, as well as tangent. Since angle 1/2A is

≈7.67°, the overall top angle of the outer pyramid triangle is doubled at ≈15.33°.
 Kovac - Nitz 27

tan(B)=27.24/3.67

tan-1tan(B)= tan-1(27.24/3.67)

B= tan-1(27.24/3.67)

B≈82.33°

Figure 41. Angle B

Figure 41, above, shows how to find the angle measure of angle B on the later surface of

the outer pyramid. The slant height, 27.24, and half of the side length of polygon 2, 3.67, was

used to calculate the angle of approximately 82.33°.

Areaonelateralface=1/2(bh)

A=1/2 (7.33 ft)(27.24 ft)

A=1/2(199.68 ft2)

Areaonelateralface=99.84 ft2

Figure 42. Area of One Lateral Face

Figure 42, above, shows the of one lateral face of the outer pyramid. The base of the

pyramid is equal to the length of one side of polygon 2, and the slant height is the height for the

triangle.

LSAOuterPuyramid=Arealateralface(number of lateral faces)

LSA= 99.84 ft2(14)

LSAOuterPyramid= 1397.77 ft2

Figure 43. LSA of The Outer Pyramid

Figure 43, above, shows the lateral surface area of the outer pyramid. The LSA is just the

area of one lateral faces multiplied by 14, since the outer pyramid has 14 faces.
 Kovac - Nitz 28

Part 8: Inner Pyramid

Slant Height
≈20.63 ft

Figure 44. Inner Pyramid

Figure 44, above, shows the inner pyramid with the height, a single face, and the slant

height.

HInnerPyramid=(SideLengthPolygon3)3

H=(6.88)3

H=20.63 feet

Figure 45. Height of the Inner Pyramid

Figure 45, above, shows how the height of the inner pyramid was found. It was given that

the height of the inner pyramid was three times the length of one side of the base. Because the

base of this pyramid was polygon 3, the side length found in Figure 10 can be used to find the

height of this pyramid. The height was found to be approximately 20.63 feet. The numbers used

in the figure were rounded but exact numbers were used to find the height.
 Kovac - Nitz 29

VolumeInnerPyramid=1/3(Areabase)(Height)

V= 1/3(724.85 ft2)( 20.63 ft)

V= 1/3(14,950.58 ft3)

VolumeInnerPyramid≈4983.53 ft3

Figure 46. Volume of The Inner Pyramid.

Figure 46, above, shows how the volume of the inner pyramid was found. Once the

height was found, which is three times the length of polygon 3, it is simply multiplied by the area

of the base, polygon 3. Then it is divided by 3 to get the answer of ≈4983.53 ft3.

Part 9: My Tower

Figure 47. Drawing of The Outer Tower

Figure 47, above, shows the outer tower with the lines that cannot be seen. Dotted lines

weren’t used because the contrast would not allow the unseen dotted edges to be seen.
 Kovac - Nitz 30

LSAOuterTower= LSAOuterPrism+LSAOuterPyramid

LSA= ≈1473.04 ft2+1397.77 ft2

LSAOuterTower≈2870.81 ft2

Figure 48. LSA of Outer Tower

Figure 48, above, shows how the lateral surface area of the outer tower was calculated.

The LSA of the outer tower was the sum of the LSA of the outer prism and the LSA of the outer

pyramid. The LSA of the outer prism, 1473.04 ft2, was calculated in Figure 32 on page 22. The

LSA of the outer pyramid, 1397.77 ft2, was calculated in Figure 43 on page 28. When the two

lateral surface areas were added up it was found that the final lateral surface area of the outer

tower was ≈2870.81 ft2.

VolumeInnerTower=VInnerPrism+VInnerPyramid

V=10628.82 ft3+4983.53 ft3

V≈15,612.35 ft3

Figure 49. Volume of The Inner Tower

Figure 49, above, show shows the volume of the inner tower. The volume of the inner

prism and the volume of the inner pyramid were added together. The inner prism volume,

10628.82 ft3, was calculated in Figure 35 on page 24. The volume of the inner pyramid,

4983.53 ft3, was calculated in Figure 46 on page 40. When the two volumes were added together

it was found that the final volume of the inner tower was ≈15,612.35 ft3.
 Kovac - Nitz 31

Conclusion:

We hope that this tower has been done exactly as you wanted. There are lots of

opportunities to make this tower very special and unique. There is approximately 15,612.35 feet3

worth of space to do anything you would like to do to the inside of this spectacular tower. There

is also 2870.81 feet2 worth of space on the outer face of this tower to decorate in any way you

would like. The scaled model included with this paper is just one example of a way that you

could chose to decorate. Not only do you have a ton of room to personalize this tower, you also

have an aquarium under your clear floor, to create the illusion of being on top of the ocean.

While finding the surface area, volume, and cost among other things, only one small problem

occurred. Because lengths and areas found in part were often used in later sections, rounded

numbers could not be used, or calculations could end up being decimal points or whole numbers

off of the correct answer. This problem was easily fixed by using exact numbers instead of

rounded numbers. We really hope that this tower has met all of your expectations.

Sincerely,

Joseph Kovac and Mackenzie Nitz