Thursday, February 22, 2007


Islamic decoration and quasicrystal patterns: a very interesting piece on NPR tonight related how Islamic decorative patterns from the 14th C. and earlier hit upon modern mathematical concepts called quasicrystal patterns (see also aperiodic tiling), which I don't pretend to understand. Here is an article with much more on the mathematical and artistic aspects. Here is how to produce such patterns with lasers.