"This is a story of how the impossible became possible. How, for centuries, scientists were absolutely sure that solids (as well as decorative patterns like tiling and quilts) could only have certain symmetries - such as square, hexagonal and triangular - and that most symmetries, including five-fold symmetry in the plane and icosahedral symmetry in three dimensions (the symmetry of a soccer ball), were strictly forbidden. Then, about twenty years ago, a new kind of pattern, known as a "quasicrystal," was envisaged that shatters the symmetry restrictions and allows for an infinite number of new patterns and structures that had never been seen before, suggesting a whole new class of materials...."
Physicist Paul J. Steinhardt
delivers a fascinating lecture (WMV) on
tilings and
quasicrystals. However, it turns out science was beaten to the punch: a recent
paper (PDF)
suggests Islamic architecture developed similar tilings centuries earlier.
posted by parudox
on Mar 18, 2007 -
11 comments
