The poetic enchantment of math -- and dinner
A mathematically precise model of a hyperbolic pane -- made with crochet.
This could be interesting/nerdy/fun: science writer Margaret Wertheim will be speaking at EMPAC Wednesday night on "mathematics as poetic enchantment."
Wertheim is co-founder of the Institute for Figuring. From the org's site:
The Institute's interests are twofold: the manifestation of figures in the world around us and the figurative technologies that humans have developed through the ages. From the physics of snowflakes and the hyperbolic geometry of sea slugs, to the mathematics of paper folding, the tiling patterns of Islamic mosaics and graphical models of the human mind, the Institute takes as its purview a complex ecology of figuring.
Here's a TED talk by Wertheim about hyperbolic space, coral and crocheting. And here's a NYT article about her Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef project.
The evening is also a dinner date -- the talk is in the cafe at EMPAC and will feature food by the Epicurean.
The talk starts at 6 pm. Tickets are $15.
image: Dr. Diana Taimina / IFF
Say Something!
We'd really like you to take part in the conversation here at All Over Albany. But we do have a few rules here. Don't worry, they're easy. The first: be kind. The second: treat everyone else with the same respect you'd like to see in return. Cool? Great, post away. Comments are moderated so it might take a little while for your comment to show up. Thanks for being patient.
Comments
Mathematics dinner discussion vs. Cooking the Tree of Life at the same time at the State Museum: nerd collision! Sorry EMPAC, love you but sweets win. Again.
... said -S on Feb 9, 2010 at 3:46 PM | link
If anyone is interested in more knitted science projects, check out this link:
http://discovermagazine.com/photos/03-the-bizarre-and-brilliant-world-of-knitted-science
... said Jessica R on Feb 9, 2010 at 4:36 PM | link
Thanks for the shout, AOA - tickets for the dinner are legitimately going fast and could sell out (we had to up the number of dinners ordered at the end of the day today), so if you are interested in eating Epicurean's delicious food while listening to Margaret Wertheim talk all about the poetics of math - well, I'd buy your ticket soon.
... said Jason Steven Murphy on Feb 9, 2010 at 9:56 PM | link
check out the book about crocheting hyperbolic planes:
http://books.google.com/books?id=wUkXPVUELB4C&dq=taimina&source=gbs_navlinks_s
this title is nominated for the oddest book title prize!
... said jill on Feb 9, 2010 at 10:06 PM | link