December 10, 2005

Educational Doilies? Hook, yarn and hyperbolic planes: Crocheting curved space to illustrate indescribable geometry.

This mathematics professor is using crocheted models to represent complex elements of geometry. Or is she just foisting her botched craft projects on her unsuspecting students? Scholarship, frippery, or the marriage thereof?

posted by The Underpants Monster 18 years ago
  • Perhaps she can tackle string theory next. All a bit over my head, but seems like a great example of creative thinking. Though if you took the Professor's advice to "Go with your finger. Investigate." in some contexts you might be in for a slap in the face.
  • Abiezer_Coppe "Go with your finger," she invites. "Investigate." Ah, what an invitation, so that's what a hyperbolic plane is. But why is yours "as big and unwieldy as a respectably sized stingray"?