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- ItemTropical geometry(Oberwolfach : Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach gGmbH, 2018) Brugallé, Erwan; Itenberg, Ilia; Shaw, Kristin; Viro, OlegWhat kind of strange spaces hide behind the enigmatic name of tropical geometry? In the tropics, just as in other geometries, one of the simplest objects is a line. Therefore, we begin our exploration by considering tropical lines. Afterwards, we take a look at tropical arithmetic and algebra, and describe how to define tropical curves using tropical polynomials.
- ItemFootballs and donuts in four dimensions(Oberwolfach : Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach gGmbH, 2016) Klee, StevenIn this snapshot, we explore connections between the mathematical areas of counting and geometry by studying objects called simplicial complexes. We begin by exploring many familiar objects in our three dimensional world and then discuss the ways one may generalize these ideas into higher dimensions.
- ItemConfiguration spaces and braid groups(Oberwolfach : Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach gGmbH, 2019) Jiménez Rolland, Rita; Xicoténcatl, Miguel A.In this snapshot we introduce configuration spaces and explain how a mathematician studies their ‘shape’. This will lead us to consider paths of configurations and braid groups, and to explore how algebraic properties of these groups determine features of the spaces.
- ItemVertex-to-Self Trajectories on the Platonic Solids(Oberwolfach : Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach gGmbH, 2020) Athreya, Jayadev S.; Aulicino, DavidWe consider the problem of walking in a straight line on the surface of a Platonic solid. While the tetrahedron, octahedron, cube, and icosahedron all exhibit the same behavior, we find a remarkable difference with the dodecahedron.
- ItemJewellery from tessellations of hyperbolic space(Oberwolfach : Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach gGmbH, 2022) Gangl, HerbertIn this snapshot, we will first give an introduction to hyperbolic geometry and we will then show how certain matrix groups of a number-theoretic origin give rise to a large variety of interesting tessellations of 3-dimensional hyperbolic space. Many of the building blocks of these tessellations exhibit beautiful symmetry and have inspired the design of 3D printed jewellery.
- ItemArrangements of lines(Oberwolfach : Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach gGmbH, 2014) Harbourne, Brian; Szemberg, TomaszWe discuss certain open problems in the context of arrangements of lines in the plane.
- ItemA few shades of interpolation(Oberwolfach : Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach gGmbH, 2017) Szpond, JustynaThe topic of this snapshot is interpolation. In the ordinary sense, interpolation means to insert something of a different nature into something else. In mathematics, interpolation means constructing new data points from given data points. The new points usually lie in between the already-known points. The purpose of this snapshot is to introduce a particular type of interpolation, namely, polynomial interpolation. This will be explained starting from basic ideas that go back to the ancient Babylonians and Greeks, and will arrive at subjects of current research activity.
- ItemTouching the transcendentals: tractional motion from the bir th of calculus to future perspectives(Oberwolfach : Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach gGmbH, 2019) Milici, PietroWhen the rigorous foundation of calculus was developed, it marked an epochal change in the approach of mathematicians to geometry. Tools from geometry had been one of the foundations of mathematics until the 17th century but today, mainstream conception relegates geometry to be merely a tool of visualization. In this snapshot, however, we consider geometric and constructive components of calculus. We reinterpret “tractional motion”, a late 17th century method to draw transcendental curves, in order to reintroduce “ideal machines” in math foundation for a constructive approach to calculus that avoids the concept of infinity.
- ItemExpander graphs and where to find them(Oberwolfach : Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach gGmbH, 2019) Khukhro, AnaGraphs are mathematical objects composed of a collection of “dots” called vertices, some of which are joined by lines called edges. Graphs are ideal for visually representing relations between things, and mathematical properties of graphs can provide an insight into real-life phenomena. One interesting property is how connected a graph is, in the sense of how easy it is to move between the vertices along the edges. The topic dealt with here is the construction of particularly well-connected graphs, and whether or not such graphs can happily exist in worlds similar to ours.
- ItemSwallowtail on the shore(Oberwolfach : Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach gGmbH, 2014) Buchweitz, Ragnar-Olaf; Faber, EleonorePlatonic 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”. Our running example is the tetrahedron, but every construction can be carried out with any other of the Platonic solids.