In or near Iioo B.C., Chou Kung, an able mathematician, determined with surprising accuracy the obliquity of the ecliptic; but his attempts to estimate the sun's distance failed hopelessly as being grounded on belief in the flatness of the earth.
The flatness impedes drainage which results in the compost staying too wet.
The exteriors of the north Italian Gothic churches are characterized by the flatness of the roof; the treatment of the west facade as a mere screen wall, masking the true lines of the aisle roofs; the great circular window in the west front for lighting the nave; the absence of pinnacles owing to the unimportance of the buttresses; the west-end porches with columns resting on lions or other animals.
The flatness problem vanishes because the huge expansion blows the universe up so much that it smooths out irregularities.
Flatness and lack of deep shadows, owing to the impossibility of obtaining heavy cornices in that material, mark the style.
