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Now showing 1 - 10 of 23
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    Tropical geometry
    (Oberwolfach : Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach gGmbH, 2018) Brugallé, Erwan; Itenberg, Ilia; Shaw, Kristin; Viro, Oleg
    What 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.
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    Configuration 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.
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    Vertex-to-Self Trajectories on the Platonic Solids
    (Oberwolfach : Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach gGmbH, 2020) Athreya, Jayadev S.; Aulicino, David
    We 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.
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    Jewellery from tessellations of hyperbolic space
    (Oberwolfach : Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach gGmbH, 2022) Gangl, Herbert
    In 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.
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    Touching the transcendentals: tractional motion from the bir th of calculus to future perspectives
    (Oberwolfach : Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach gGmbH, 2019) Milici, Pietro
    When 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.
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    Expander graphs and where to find them
    (Oberwolfach : Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach gGmbH, 2019) Khukhro, Ana
    Graphs 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.
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    From the dollar game to the Riemann-Roch Theorem
    (Oberwolfach : Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach gGmbH, 2021) Lamboglia, Sara; Ulirsch, Martin
    What is the dollar game? What can you do to win it? Can you always win it? In this snapshot you will find answers to these questions as well as several of the mathematical surprises that lurk in the background, including a new perspective on a century-old theorem.
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    Zopfgruppen, die Yang–Baxter-Gleichung und Unterfaktoren
    (Oberwolfach : Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach gGmbH, 2021) Lechner, Gandalf
    Die Yang–Baxter-Gleichung ist eine faszinierende Gleichung, die in vielen Gebieten der Physik und der Mathematik auftritt und die am besten diagrammatisch dargestellt wird. Dieser Snapshot schlägt einen weiten Bogen vom Zöpfeflechten über die Yang–Baxter- Gleichung bis hin zur aktuellen Forschung zu Systemen von unendlichdimensionalen Algebren, die wir „Unterfaktoren“ nennen.
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    Finite geometries: pure mathematics close to applications
    (Oberwolfach : Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach gGmbH, 2021) Storme, Leo
    The research field of finite geometries investigates structures with a finite number of objects. Classical examples include vector spaces, projective spaces, and affine spaces over finite fields. Although many of these structures are studied for their geometrical importance, they are also of great interest in other, more applied domains of mathematics. In this snapshot, finite vector spaces are introduced. We discuss the geometrical concept of partial t-spreads together with its implications for the “packing problem” and a recent application in the existence of “cooling codes”.
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    Reflections on hyperbolic space
    (Oberwolfach : Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach gGmbH, 2021) Haensch, Anna
    In school, we learn that the interior angles of any triangle sum up to pi. However, there exist spaces different from the usual Euclidean space in which this is not true. One of these spaces is the ''hyperbolic space'', which has another geometry than the classical Euclidean geometry. In this snapshot, we consider the geometry of hyperbolic polytopes, for example polygons, how they tile hyperbolic space, and how reflections along the faces of polytopes give rise to important mathematical structures. The classification of these structures is an open area of research.