Periodic structures like a typical tiled kitchen floor or the arrangement of carbon atoms in a diamond crystal certainly possess a high degree of order. But what is order without periodicity? In this snapshot, we are going to explore highly ordered structures that are substantially nonperiodic, or aperiodic. As we construct such structures, we will discover surprising connections to various branches of mathematics, ma- terials science, and physics. Let us catch a glimpse into the inherent beauty of aperiodic order! 

Many problems in mathematics have remained unsolved because of missing links between mathematical disciplines, such as algebra, geometry, analysis, or number theory. Here we introduce a recently discovered result concerning quadratic polynomials, which uses a bridge between algebra and analysis. We study the iterations of quadratic polynomials, obtained by computing the value of a polynomial for a given number and feeding the outcome into the exact same polynomial again. These iterations of polynomials have interesting applications, such as in fractal theory. 

When lots of robots come together to form shapes, spread in an area, or move in one direction, their motion has to be planned carefully. We discuss how mathematicians devise strategies to help swarms of robots behave like an experienced, coordinated team. 

This snapshot looks at educational aspects of the design of curricula in mathematics. In particular, we examine choices textbook authors have made when introducing the concept of the completness of the real numbers. Can significant choices really be made? Do these choices have an effect on how people learn, and, if so, can we understand what they are?

This is a snapshot about operator theory and one of its fundamental tools: the singular value decomposition (SVD). The SVD breaks up linear transformations into simpler mappings, thus unveiling their  geometric properties. This tool has become important in many areas of applied mathematics for its ability to organize information. We discuss the SVD in the concrete situation of linear transformations of the plane (such as rotations, reflections, etc.).