astronomy

Prayer Tower

Prayer Tower is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Prayer Tower rather than just read about it. In short: The Prayer Tower is a late Googie design-influenced tower located on the campus of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 200 ft (60.9 m) glass and steel structure, designed by Tulsa architect Frank Wallace, opened in 1967.

Key takeaways

Prayer Tower belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Prayer Tower to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Prayer Tower from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Prayer Tower is a late Googie design-influenced tower located on the campus of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 200 ft (60.9 m) glass and steel structure, designed by Tulsa architect Frank Wallace, opened in 1967. An enclosed observation deck gives a 360° view of the surrounding area and enables a self-guided visual tour of the ORU campus. The landscaped Ralph L. Reece Memorial Gardens surround the tower base. The tower is a popular local tourist attraction.

Symbolism ORU is a charismatic Christian university. According to school publicity the tower's form is laden with Christian symbolism. The Prayer Tower is located at the center of campus to symbolize prayer's central role in the goals of the university. The disc and spindle design takes on the look of a cross from any horizontal bearing, and from the air resembles the Star of David. The tower's "upward spiral" is intended to mirror one's relationship with God. The latticework which surrounds the observation deck is reportedly built in part from standard white PVC pipe (with the original specification markings still somewhat visible) and is meant as a semi-literal representation of the crown of thorns worn by Jesus on the cross, with red coloring for the blood Christ shed in death. The tower's peak features an eternal flame representing Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

See also Oral Roberts University Oral Roberts Jesus Calls Prayer Tower Christian Broadcasting Network Richard Roberts Pat Robertson

References

External links Oral Roberts University Oklahoma Modern

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Prayer Tower

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Prayer Tower claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Prayer Tower before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Prayer Tower ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Prayer Tower

In research: Prayer Tower appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Prayer Tower in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Prayer Tower is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Buildings and structures in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Eternal flames, Googie architecture, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Prayer Tower outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Prayer Tower in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Prayer Tower means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Prayer Tower out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Prayer Tower in simple terms?

Why does Prayer Tower matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Prayer Tower?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Prayer Tower.