
The mathekniticians and their amazing woolly maths creations - sohkamyung
https://www.theguardian.com/science/alexs-adventures-in-numberland/2016/oct/03/meet-the-mathekniticians-and-their-amazing-woolly-maths-creations
======
sounddetective
This is related to the work of Latvian mathematician Daina Taimina from
Cornell University. She has been using crocheting as an educational tool for
illustrating hyperbolic space.

Her TEDx Talk about this: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1TBZhd-
sN0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1TBZhd-sN0)

Her Wikipedia entry:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daina_Taimina](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daina_Taimina)

------
djaychela
There are some interesting patterns in there, and I think that presenting that
kind of information visually can be useful in a teaching environment; there
are a few subjects which seem to turn people off, but a lot of it is that it's
presented in a particular way, and a visual representation of some patterns in
maths can be useful in terms of understanding.

I teach Music Tech, but as part of the course I have to look at how computers
store audio, which leads us to binary. Every time I present this, I'm
expecting glazed expressions and people switching off, but I try to present it
in an interesting way, solving the "problem" of why computers have to count in
binary. And it seems to work; most years when I do that class, I get people
switching "on" and saying something like "Oh, THAT's why we see those same
numbers over and again" (i.e. powers of 2). I'll definitely be using the
binary representation in the article when I teach it next year... (If I'd seen
it this time last week, I'd have been able to use it!)

------
wiredfool
My wife made a Sirpinsky quilt a few years back.

Edit: pic
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/94816668@N00/2801479427](https://www.flickr.com/photos/94816668@N00/2801479427)

------
merraksh
Related: My Prime Factorization Sweater, by Sondra Eklund.

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3905733](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3905733)

------
Xophmeister
No crocheted Klein bottles, or other woolly yet non-orientable surfaces? I
remember those going round the lecture theatres, when I was doing my maths
degree, more than ten years ago.

~~~
Feuilles_Mortes
You should ask Cliff Stoll[1] about those!

[1][https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAsICMPwGPY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAsICMPwGPY)

------
ColinWright
Pat and Steve are regulars at my annual MathsJam gathering, their work is
wonderful, and they are such enthusiasts.

Lovely people, lovely write-up.

------
alphaBetaGamma
Similar, but in 3d: Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes, Daina
Taimina, [https://www.amazon.com/Crocheting-Adventures-Hyperbolic-
Plan...](https://www.amazon.com/Crocheting-Adventures-Hyperbolic-Planes-
Taimina/dp/1568814526)

------
agumonkey
Jacquard Loom's revenge

