Speaker: Oscar García-Prada, ICMAT-CSIC; Steven Bradlow, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ()
Date: Wednesday, 06 April 2022 – 11:00
Place: Aula Naranja, ICMAT
Abstract:
- 11:00 – 11:45. «Mathematics of kolam», Oscar García-Prada (ICMAT-CSIC)
In Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India, it is an old tradition to decorate the entrance to the home with a geometric figure called «Kolam». A Kolam is a geometrical line drawing composed of curved loops, drawn around a grid pattern of dots. This is typically done by women using rice flour. Kolams have connections to geometry, topology, discrete mathematics, number theory,
algebra, and computer science. After reviewing a bit of its history, I will explore
some of these connections.
- 12:00 – 12:45. «Mathematics and art in Africa», Steven Bradlow (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Many motifs in African decorative traditions have distinctive order.
Mathematics provides an effective language for describing this order; conversely,
the arts and crafts incorporate and illustrate a rich range of mathematical principles.
We will explore this symbiosis in several examples, including Ndebele house decorations,
Tonga basketry, and Chokwe sona sand drawings.
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