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How Is Tiling Without Repetition Possible?

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Manage episode 426967441 series 3328067
Content provided by Quanta Magazine, Steven Strogatz, and Janna Levin. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Quanta Magazine, Steven Strogatz, and Janna Levin or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

In the tiling of wallpaper and bathroom floors, collective repeated patterns often emerge. Mathematicians have long tried to find a tiling shape that never repeats in this way. In 2023, they lauded an unexpected amateur victor. That discovery of the elusive aperiodic monotile propelled the field into new dimensions.

The study of tessellation is much more than a fun thought exercise: Peculiar, rare tiling formations can sometimes seem to tell us something about the natural world, from the structure of minerals to the organization of the cosmos. In this episode, Janna Levin speaks with mathematician Natalie Priebe Frank about these complex geometric combinations, and where they may pop up unexpectedly. Specifically, they explore her research into quasicrystals — crystals that, like aperiodic tiles, enigmatically resist structural uniformity..

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn or your favorite podcasting app, or you can stream it from Quanta.

  continue reading

55 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 426967441 series 3328067
Content provided by Quanta Magazine, Steven Strogatz, and Janna Levin. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Quanta Magazine, Steven Strogatz, and Janna Levin or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

In the tiling of wallpaper and bathroom floors, collective repeated patterns often emerge. Mathematicians have long tried to find a tiling shape that never repeats in this way. In 2023, they lauded an unexpected amateur victor. That discovery of the elusive aperiodic monotile propelled the field into new dimensions.

The study of tessellation is much more than a fun thought exercise: Peculiar, rare tiling formations can sometimes seem to tell us something about the natural world, from the structure of minerals to the organization of the cosmos. In this episode, Janna Levin speaks with mathematician Natalie Priebe Frank about these complex geometric combinations, and where they may pop up unexpectedly. Specifically, they explore her research into quasicrystals — crystals that, like aperiodic tiles, enigmatically resist structural uniformity..

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn or your favorite podcasting app, or you can stream it from Quanta.

  continue reading

55 episodes

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