Math Art: Hypotrochoids
This hypotrochoid art set was the perfect stocking stuffer for a math lover like myself! With a little practice you can quickly produce some really beautiful images.
Categories: AppreciationArt
Appreciation Photography
Math Photo: Water Circles
Trying to get the timing right was a nice little diversion at the bottom of this beautiful crater lake.
2 Comments
Mauricio · February 3, 2013 at 8:22 pm
At a very young age, I used to play with my dad’s old spirograph which is basically this. There were other cool designs by rotating ellipses and round-ended rectangles. Later on, when I learned howto operate a computer, I started creating similar patterns by experimenting with my parents architecture software (AutoCAD) using a feature called polar array. What this did was take any drawing and rotate it about a chosen point a given amount of times. This process created graphs that looked very similar to the ones you have shared.
I believe that it is essential to show young minds fun and interesting math art. By doing so, these kids develop a great appreciation for mathematics.
MrHonner · February 7, 2013 at 10:05 pm
I’ve never heard of the “polar array” function; that sounds really cool. I bet you can create some beautiful visuals that way. And I bet iteration could produce some interesting results!
I very much agree about the need to show young people the beauty of mathematics, in order to build a culture that appreciates math, and isn’t fearful or intimidated by it. We have our work cut out for us, Mauricio!