Sunday, November 28, 2021

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

THE LEANING TOWER OF PISA (Pisa, Tuscany, Italy)

Nearly 186 feet high (on the high side), the freestanding bell tower of Pisa Cathedral is famous for its nearly 4° lean. The foundation was improperly laid over soft ground; the lean began during construction. At its worst it was 5.5°; it was straightened 1993-2001. Galileo famously (if apocryphally) used the tilt to drop cannon balls in demonstrating the law of free fall.

(Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons; CTTO)


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