science

Western Stone

Western Stone is a science 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 Western Stone rather than just read about it. In short: The Western Stone is a monolithic ashlar (worked stone block) forming part of the lower level of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. This largest stone in the Western Wall is visible within the Western Wall Tunnel.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The Western Stone is a monolithic ashlar (worked stone block) forming part of the lower level of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. This largest stone in the Western Wall is visible within the Western Wall Tunnel. It is one of the largest building blocks in the world.

Dimensions

Exposed face The stone's exposed face can be freely measured and is 13.55 metres (44.5 ft) long and 3.3 metres (11 ft) high, but its width, or depth, is hidden within the wall.

Depth In June 2006, Harry M. Jol, from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, performed measurements with ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to determine the depth of the stone. The conclusion of his team was that its depth ranges from approximately 1.8 to 2.5 metres (5.9 to 8.2 ft). Prior estimates ranged up to 16.5m.

Weight The calculated weight of the stone block is of 250–300 tonnes, based on Jol's measurement. Prior to Jol's GPR measurement, the stone was estimated to weigh between 550 and 600 tonnes.

Pre-2006 estimates A previous estimate of the stone's depth was 16.5 metres (54 ft), a multiple of the GPR measurement, and led to a calculated total weight of 567 tonnes.; Other pre-2006 sources circulated similar figures, namely 550 to 600 tonnes. The Western Wall Heritage Foundation (WWHF) website indicates, as of March 2020, an estimated depth of 2–4.6 metres (6.6–15.1 ft), with an estimated weight of "several hundred tons", thus moderating its former estimated weight of 517 tonnes (570 short tons);

Location The stone is located in a section of the Western Wall (in the broader meaning of the term) north of Wilson's Arch, below ground level, and can be accessed through the Western Wall tunnels. It is part of the "Great Course", a name used by the WWHF for the tallest and longest course (layer of stones) of the Western Wall. Its stone blocks are of Herodian age, and the stones next to the Western Stone are, in sequence, 2 metres (6.6 ft), 12.12 metres (39.8 ft), and 8 metres (26 ft) long, respectively.

See also Herodian architecture Archaeology of Israel Stone of the Pregnant Woman

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Western Stone

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Western Stone claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, 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 Western Stone 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 Western Stone 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 Western Stone

In research: Western Stone appears in science 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 Western Stone 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: Western Stone is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Archaeological artifacts, Stones, Tabernacle and Temples in Jerusalem, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Western Stone 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 Western Stone in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Western Stone 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 Western Stone out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Western Stone in simple terms?

Why does Western Stone matter?

Because it connects several science 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 Western Stone?

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 Western Stone.