Algebra and Number Theory

mathemathical subject image: 

Katzengold: Pyrit, Platon und ein Polynom

Was haben das Mineral Pyrit, der fünfte platonische K̈örper (genannt Dodekaeder) und ein Polynom vom Grad 16 gemeinsam? Dieser Artikel untersucht diesen Zusammenhang mit Hilfe der kostenlosen Software SURFER der Plattform IMAGINARY - open mathematics. Daraus entstehen faszinierende Bilder, die zeigen, wie ein Würfel sich nacheinander in einen Dodekaeder, einen Rhombendodekaeder und einen Oktaeder verwandelt, alles dank einer einzigen Formel. Es wird ein Überblick über die Ideen und die Mathematik hinter diesen Visualisierungen gegeben.

Swallowtail on the shore

Platonic solids, Felix Klein, H. S. M. Coxeter and a flap of a swallowtail: The five Platonic solids tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, icosahedron and dodecahedron have always attracted much curiosity from mathematicians, not only for their sheer beauty but also because of their many symmetry properties. In this snapshot we will start from these symmetries, move on to groups, singularities, and finally find the connection between a tetrahedron and a “swallowtail”.

Friezes and tilings

Friezes have occured as architectural ornaments for many centuries. In this snapshot, we consider the mathematical analogue of friezes as introduced in the 1970s by Conway and Coxeter. Recently, infinite versions of such friezes have appeared in current research. We are going to describe them and explain how they can be classified using some nice geometric pictures.

The ternary Goldbach Problem

Leonhard Euler (1707–1783) – one of the greatest mathematicians of the eighteenth century and of all times – often corresponded with a friend of his, Christian Goldbach (1690–1764), an amateur and polymath who lived and worked in Russia, just like Euler himself. In a letter written in June 1742, Goldbach made a conjecture – that is, an educated guess – on prime numbers:

“Es scheinet wenigstens, dass eine jede Zahl, die größer ist als 2, ein aggregatum trium numerorum primorum sey.”

SURFER in Math Art, Education and Science Communication

SURFER is a program designed to make everybody feel like a mathematician. The program is a bridge between art and math. Everybody can participate in the dialogue between algebraic equations and pictures of algebraic surfaces in an interactive and aesthetic way. In this paper we will introduce the program and its potential in math art, education and communication. The program was originally developed for the IMAGINARY exhibition, a project by the Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach.

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