Crocheting adventures with hyperbolic planes / Daina Taimina̦.
Material type:
TextPublication details: Wellesley, MA : A.K. Peters, c2009.Description: xi, 148 p. : col. ill. ; 21 x 26 cmISBN: - 1568814526 (alk. paper)
- 9781568814520 (alk. paper)
- 746.434 TAI
| Item type | Current library | Call number | Copy number | Status | Date due | Barcode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Loan | LSAD Library Main Collection | 746.434 TAI (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | 1 | Available | 39002000187154 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
Winner of the Euler Book Prize -- Awarded by the Mathematical Association of America
With more than 200 full color photographs, this non-traditional, tactile introduction to non-Euclidean geometries also covers early development of geometry and connections between geometry, art, nature, and sciences. For the crafter or would-be crafter, there are detailed instructions for how to crochet various geometric models and how to use them in explorations.
From the Foreword by William Thurston:
"These models have a fascination far beyond their visual appearance. As illustrated in the book, there is actually negative curvature and hyperbolic geometry all around us, but people generally see it without seeing it. You will develop an entirely new understanding by actually following the simple instructions and crocheting! The models are deceptively interesting. Perhaps you will come up with your own variations and ideas. In any case, I hope this book gives you pause for thought and changes your way of thinking about mathematics."
Includes bibliographical references (p. 139-144) and index.
What is the hyperbolic plane? Can we crochet it? -- What can you learn from your model? -- Four strands in the history of geometry -- Tidbits from the history of crochet -- What is non-Euclidean geometry? -- How to crochet a pseudosphere and a symmetric hyperbolic plane -- Metamorphoses of the hyperbolic plane -- Other surfaces with negative curvature : catenoid and helicoid -- Who is interested in hyperbolic geometry now and how can it be used? -- Paper models.
Author notes provided by Syndetics
Daina Taimina was born in Riga, Latvia in 1954--the same year as an International Congress of Mathematicians pivotal to non-Euclidean geometry (as she describes in the Introduction), so her influence on the hyperbolic plane almost seems fated. Now a professor of mathematics at Cornell University, Taimina regularly participates in art exhibitions and educational workshops related to her crocheted models. She was nominated as one of the "Most Innovative People and Organizations in the Science and Technology World in 2006."