Column
- Math
Sand Drawings and Mirror Curves
To accompany the telling of a story or recounting of a fable, men of the Chokwe people in south-central Africa traditionally made sand drawings, called sona, to illustrate the tale. These highly stylized geometric illustrations also served as memory aids. Sand drawing. Paulus Gerdes Plaited mat designs. Mark Schlatter Lion’s stomach design. Mark Schlatter Example […]
- Math
Waves of Congestion
You’re confined to a single lane as you drive along a narrow, winding road. The car in front of you suddenly slows, then just as inexplicably accelerates a short time later, only to slow again. As you keep adjusting to the leading car’s erratic speed changes, you sometimes find a clump of vehicles closely tailing […]
- Math
Waves of Congestion
You’re confined to a single lane as you drive along a narrow, winding road. The car in front of you suddenly slows, then just as inexplicably accelerates a short time later, only to slow again. As you keep adjusting to the leading car’s erratic speed changes, you sometimes find a clump of vehicles closely tailing […]
- Math
Mozart’s Melody Machine
Music publishing was a thriving trade during the latter part of the 18th century in Europe. Publishers vied with one another to print the works of the latest “hot” composer. Many of them looked for novel ways to entice new customers into their music shops. One such ploy was to publish systems that would allow […]
- Math
Mozart’s Melody Machine
Music publishing was a thriving trade during the latter part of the 18th century in Europe. Publishers vied with one another to print the works of the latest “hot” composer. Many of them looked for novel ways to entice new customers into their music shops. One such ploy was to publish systems that would allow […]
- Math
Art of Pursuit
The simple mathematical concept of a pursuit curve can serve as the starting point for creating wonderfully intricate artistic designs. Four “bugs” chasing one another produce an intriguing pattern of nested, rotated squares. Courtesy of John Sharp. Pursuit curves based on a star-shaped polygon. Courtesy of John Sharp. Example of a pattern in which the […]
- Math
Art of Pursuit
The simple mathematical concept of a pursuit curve can serve as the starting point for creating wonderfully intricate artistic designs. Four “bugs” chasing one another produce an intriguing pattern of nested, rotated squares. Courtesy of John Sharp. Pursuit curves based on a star-shaped polygon. Courtesy of John Sharp. Example of a pattern in which the […]
- Math
Art of Pursuit
The simple mathematical concept of a pursuit curve can serve as the starting point for creating wonderfully intricate artistic designs. Four “bugs” chasing one another produce an intriguing pattern of nested, rotated squares. Courtesy of John Sharp. Pursuit curves based on a star-shaped polygon. Courtesy of John Sharp. Example of a pattern in which the […]
- Math
Art of Pursuit
The simple mathematical concept of a pursuit curve can serve as the starting point for creating wonderfully intricate artistic designs. Four “bugs” chasing one another produce an intriguing pattern of nested, rotated squares. Courtesy of John Sharp. Pursuit curves based on a star-shaped polygon. Courtesy of John Sharp. Example of a pattern in which the […]
- Math
Art of Pursuit
The simple mathematical concept of a pursuit curve can serve as the starting point for creating wonderfully intricate artistic designs. Four “bugs” chasing one another produce an intriguing pattern of nested, rotated squares. Courtesy of John Sharp. Pursuit curves based on a star-shaped polygon. Courtesy of John Sharp. Example of a pattern in which the […]
- Math
Pursuing Pursuit Curves
A pursuit curve is the path an object takes when chasing another object. Such a path might result from a fox pursuing a rabbit or a missile seeking a moving target. This set of superimposed “snapshots” shows the lines of sight at regular intervals of four “bugs” chasing one another, all moving at the same […]
- Math
Acoustic Residues
There’s a surprising mathematical ingredient in the sound of many performing artists and recording stars. It manifests itself in the form of clusters of panels hanging on the walls of recording studios, concert halls, nightclubs, and other venues. Sculpted from wooden strips separated by thin aluminum dividers, each panel consists of an array of wells […]
