Architectural Detail uses the same mathematical formulas that the Greeks used in their architecture. Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola was the first person to classify the Greeks' rules as well as the rules of the Romans. This set of rules is considered to be the standard of classic architecture. Precise measurements and proportions need to be utilized or the column is not considered architecturally correct. One of the reasons the Greeks used the exact taper that they did was because a column tapered at that incline appears to be straight up and down from far off. If a perfectly straight column is seen from a distance, it may appear to be more narrow at the bottom.