MathsPig MathsPig MathsPig MathsPig MathsPig MathsPig MathsPig MathsPig MathsPig MathsPig MathsPig MathsPig MathsPig MathsPig MathsPig MathsPig MathsPig MathsPig MathsPig …………………………………………………. with Kerry Cue

 Bonjour  Mathematiquepigs,

Mathspig has just returned from Europe. And what does a little mathspig do when she is in Paris? Why she trots along to Maths Scene: 

the 13e Salon Culture & Jeux  Mathematique

or

The  13th Expo of Mathematical Games and Living Culture.

The Expo is sponsored by Universite of Pierre and Marie Curie (UPMC) Sorbonne Universities to show that maths can be both fascinating and fun. In France, the home of Descartes, maths is often taught at school as if it were a ‘formal discipline’ or ‘ dead language’.

Run by the Comite International des Jeux Mathematiques (Committee of Mathematical Games) the expo is a feast of maths competitions, games and debates along with 75 game booths run by PhD maths students and sponsors.

Here are university students Aline and Elise (above) demonstrating some pretty tricky tessellations @ the Expo. The problems look so simple but Aline and Elise showed Mathspig how tricky tessellations can be.  Mathspig had to think.

This is a page (below) from one Expo brochure:

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Here is the front cover of another brochure:

 Three fascinating maths ideas Mathspig took home to Australia from the Mathematique Expo are:

Morph Me

What’s the time? Flintstone O’Clock

I’m Forever Blowing Cubic Bubbles!

Merci, Mes Amis, Le Comite International des Jeux Mathematiques

Au Revoir

Mathspig

PS: The spectacular 3D fractal image on the top brochure was designed by Jérémie Brunet. You can find more of his amaaaaazing images at his website.

Morph Me

Here is LAGA Phd student Attouchi @ the 13e Salon Culture & Jeux  Mathematique in Paris.

She was showing students how to use a graph to create anamorphic projections. This is interesting maths!!!

Here is an anamophic projection painted by extraordinary  Australian artist Juan Ford. Mathspig went to Juan’s amorphic projection show. Now that I’ve tried to do one by hand, I have more respect. It’s totally tricky, but doable.

You will find more of his anamorphic projections @ artabase

Conformal Mapping

In maths we call this type of image distortion CONFORMAL MAPPING.

Mathematicians write equations for conformal mapping, which means they produce equations that can  turn your picture into an image you might see reflected in a fun park mirror or even in pond ripples.

Here are some images created by Wei Zeng, Lok Ming Lui, Xianfeng Gu, Tony Chan and Shing-Tung Yau who, as mathematicians would say, create Quasiconformal Maps Using Discrete Curvature Flow. You’ll find more here.

Here is the mapping graph used by Attouchi to create Anamorphic Projections.

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All you need is this grid (Download pdf file here Anamorphose Cylindrique) and a cardboard tube ( Diam 47mm or a little bigger than a toilet roll tube) covered in shiny silver paper (as used in He balloons or use gift wrap paper.)

You can just see the dotted line indicating where to place the tube mirror on the grid.

But don’t be mislead. Creating anamorphic projections is really tricky. Mathspig nearly blew a fuse trying to do a drawing. In the end I decided to keep it simple and use letters. Students could start with a triangle or their name. Keep it simple mathpiggies!!!!!! But it is such fun.

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Ooops! Mathspig forgot to write Maths 4 Eva as a mirror image. Take 2:

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It works!!!!!

What’s the time? Flintstone O’clock or the DIY Sundial

Here are Phd students  Irene and Rémy, who were showing students the maths of astronomy at the 13e Salon Culture & Jeux  Mathematique in Paris. Their enthusiasm was infectious.

Irene and Rémy were giving students the DIY sundial kit (below), which uses a tooth pick as the sundial arm or pointer to throw the shadow.

This Equatorial Sundial has a dial plate set at an angle of 45 degrees, which is suitable for Paris (See below). You will find the pdf file for this sundial kit here: pic 2 sun dial nth hemisphere.

If , mathspiggies, you want to make a DIY Sundial Kit  for the Southern Hemisphere go to Scienceworks Museum Victoria.

Sundials involve ANGLES

This is geometry peoples, but understanding the angles involved in a sundial is quite tricky. Read on, mathspiggies.

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Nevertheless, sundials are amazing. Here is an awesome Sundial Bridge @ Redding, California.

Or you could grab some chalk and some string and make a HUMAN SUNDIAL @ school.

 It would take all day. 

I’m Forever Blowing … Cubic Bubbles

Mathspig was fascinated by this demonstration @ the the 13e Salon Culture & Jeux  Mathematique

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This Phd student was demonstrating how to make CUBIC BUBBLES. Everyone was intrigued.

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Finally, I tracked down the supplier of the mathematical construction kit used above.

It’s called Zometool. It is absolutely brilliant.

The manufacturers describe the kit as Art and Science at play.

What you can build with this construction kit is mind-boggling. Here are Zometool Experts Erwin and Lyn.

They built this sphere in several hours the day before the expo.

You can find these German product kits on Erwin’s website @ Zometool

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Here is a video showing the Zometool and how to make a cubic bubble.

The Zometool is a little pricey although well worth the investment for a school.

But if  you want to make a cubic bubble you can construct your own cube using straws and pipe cleaners or just pipecleaners.

Mathspig and Ivy, 10, my maths consultant from next door made pipecleaner cubes (Below)and cubic bubbles

( Hint: You have to jiggle a bubble into the center of the cube). We had great fun.

We made the best cubic bubbles from the straw cube (below)

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So go on, mathspiggies, have some fun. Make some cubic bubbles.