May 11, 2008; Mathematical Quilts

[Undertoad]

[skysidhe]

oh no. Now what manhole did I step in.

[xoxoxoBruce]

You didn't, a plane fell on you.

[HungLikeJesus]

New Math Tricks: Knitting and Crocheting

Coral reefs can be crocheted. The atmosphere can be knit. And a stop sign can be folded into a pair of pants.

Welcome to the intersection of math and handicraft. Unexpectedly, handicraft in general, and yarn work in particular, has started to help provide answers to a wide range of mathematical problems. From the way the atmosphere generates weather to the shape of the human brain, knit and crocheted models have provided new insight into the geometry of the natural world.

"Crochet, knitting and other crafts allow people to visualize, recontextualize and develop new problems and answers," said Carolyn Yackel, a mathematician at Mercer University in Georgia.

Another prominent practitioner who uses yarn work, mathematician Hinke Osinga of the University of Bristol, puts it this way: "You can get bogged down in your own standard techniques of doing things, and then someone asks a silly question, and all of a sudden, you see a new way of interpreting things."

From livescience.com.