Table Of ContentMichele Emmer
Marco Abate Editors
Imagine
Math 7
Between Culture and Mathematics
Imagine Math 7
Michele Emmer • Marco Abate
Editors
Imagine Math 7
Between Culture and Mathematics
Editors
MicheleEmmer MarcoAbate
SapienzaUniversityofRome(retired) MathematicsDepartment
Rome,Italy UniversityofPisa
and Pisa,Italy
IVSLA–IstitutoVenetodiScienze
LettereedArti
Roma,Italy
ISBN978-3-030-42652-1 ISBN978-3-030-42653-8 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42653-8
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Coverillustration:FromthecatalogueoftheexhibitionbyMimmoPaladino,SullaMathematica,Palazzo
Loredan,IVSLA,Venice,March-April,2019,CentroInternazionaledellaGrafica,Venezia
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To
Nanni Balestrini
Preface
Imagineallthepeople
Sharingalltheworld...
JohnLennon
Imaginebuildingmathematicalmodelsthatmakeitpossibletomanageourworld
better,imaginesolvinggreatproblems,imaginenewproblemsneverbeforethought
oforimaginecombiningmusic,art,poetry,literature,architecture,theatreandcin-
ema with mathematics. Imaginethe unpredictableand sometimes counterintuitive
applicationsofmathematicsinallareasofhumanendeavour.
Imaginationandmathematics,imaginationandculture,cultureandmathematics.
For some years now the world of mathematics has penetrated deeply into human
culture,perhapsmoredeeplythaneverbefore,evenmorethanintheRenaissance.
In theatre, stories of mathematicians are staged; in cinema Oscars are won by
films about mathematicians; all over the world museums and science centres
dedicated to mathematics are multiplying. Journals have been founded to explore
the relationships between mathematics and contemporary art and architecture.
Exhibitionsare mountedto presentmathematics, artand mathematicsand images
relatedtotheworldofmathematics.
The volumes in the series Imagine Math are intended to help readers grasp
how much that is interesting and new is happening in the relationships between
mathematics,imaginationandculture.
ThisseventhvolumeisdedicatedtotheItalianpoet,visualartistandwriterNanni
BalestriniwhodiedMay2019.Hetookpartinthe2015VeniceConferencewitha
presentationandanexhibitiondedicatedtohiscombinatorialbookTristanoandhis
combinatorialfilmTristanoil(ImagineMaths5,2016).
The volume starts with a homage to the Italian artist Mimmo Paladino who
createdexclusivelyfor theVeniceConference 2019ten originaland uniqueworks
ofartpaperdedicatedtothethemesofthemeeting.Anexhibitionofthetenworks
togetherwiththeseriesofsixetchingsentitledMathematicaopenedfor1monthin
PalazzoLoredaninVenice,theothervenueoftheIstitutoVenetodiScienze,Lettere
edArti,wheremanyconferencesonMathematicsandCulturehavetakenplacein
recentyears.
vii
viii Preface
After the Homage to the Anniversary of the Bauhaus (1 April 1919), a large
section is dedicated to the most recent Fields Medals including a Homage to
Maryam Mirzakhani and the story of soap bubbles in mathematics including a
presentationoftheinternationalexhibitiononsoapbubblesinartandsciencewith
works of art from many Museums of the world that took place in the Galleria
Nazionaledell’Umbriain Perugia,March–June2019.A section oftheconference
was dedicated to cinema and theatre including two living performancesby Claire
Bardainne and Adrien Mondot and the Portuguese mathematician Telma Joao
Santos.Apartoftheconferencefocusedonthecommunityofmathematiciansand
theirroleinliteratureandeveninpoliticswiththeextraordinaryexampleofAntanas
MockusMajorofBogotá,presentedbyCarloTognatooftheUniversidadNacional
deColombia.Mathematicsinthe constructionsofbridges,in particularin Italyin
the1960s,waspresentedbyTulliaIori.AveryparticularcontributiononOrigami
byamathematician,MarcoAbate,andanartist,AlessandroBeber.Andmanyother
topics.
Asusualthetopicsaretreatedinawaythatisrigorousbutcaptivating,detailed
and full of evocations. This is an all-embracing look at the world of mathematics
andculture.1
Rome,Italy MicheleEmmer
1P.S.Theworld,life,culture,everythinghaschangedinafewweekswiththeCoronavirus.Culture,
science are the main ways to safeguard people’s physical and social life. Trust in humanity’s
creativityandability.ThemottotodayinItalyisEverythingwillbefine.
Acknowledgement
WethankMimmoPaladinoforhispermissiontoreusetheimagespublishedinthe
catalogueoftheexhibitionMimmoPaladino,SullaMathematica,PalazzoLoredan,
IVSLA,Venice,March–April,2019,CentroInternazionaledellaGrafica,Venezia.
ix
Contents
PartI HomagetoBauhaus
HomagetoBauhaus,April1,1919............................................. 3
MicheleEmmer
PaulKlee’s“Honey-Writing”SomeReflectionsontheRelation
ofAutomatism,Automation,Machines,andMathematics.................. 5
MichaelRottmann
PartII FieldsMedals
MaryamMirzakhani:AMathematicalPolyglot ............................. 33
ElisabettaStrickland
FromSoapBubblestoFieldsMedals:AnExhibition........................ 45
MicheleEmmer
PartIII MathematicsandCinema
AlternativeMethodsforDigitalContrastRestoration....................... 73
AlicePlutinoandAlessandroRizzi
MathematicallyBasedAlgorithmsforFilmDigitalRestoration ........... 89
SerenaBellotti,GiuliaBottaro,AlicePlutino,andMicheleValsesia
HomagetoOctaviaSpencer..................................................... 105
MicheleEmmer
PartIV MathematicsandOrigami
GeometricOrigami .............................................................. 117
MarcoAbate
OrigamiTessellations:DesigningPaperfoldedGeometricPatterns........ 135
AlessandroBeber
xi
xii Contents
PartV MathematicsandArt
GeometricConceptofaSmoothStaircase:SinusStairs..................... 151
CornelieLeopold
SublimeExperience:NewStrategiesforMeasuringtheAesthetic
ImpactoftheSublime ........................................................... 167
MaddalenaMazzocut-Mis,AndreaVisconti,HoomanTahayori,
andMichelaCeria
MathematicsinDisneyComics................................................. 189
AlbertoSaracco
PartVI MathematicsandApplications
TheLanguageofStructures .................................................... 213
TulliaIori
MathematicalAspectsofLeonardo’sProductioninMilan ................. 231
ElenaMarchettiandLuisaRossiCosta
AMathematicalImprovementoftheSkateCurves.......................... 247
EnricoPeranoandMarcoCodegone
PartVII MathematicsandPhysics
InfinityinPhysics ................................................................ 265
Jean-MarcLévy-Leblond
PartVIII Mathematicsand ...
HyperbolicHoneycomb ......................................................... 279
GianMarcoTodesco
ExplainingCybersecuritywithFilmsandtheArts .......................... 297
LucaViganò
PartIX Mathematicians
APortraitoftheMathematicalTribe.......................................... 313
MarcoLiCalzi
Creation/Representation/Transmission:Culture
and/ofMathematicians’Autobiographies..................................... 333
OdileChatirichvili
MathematicalImaginationand the Preparationof the Child
forScience:SparksfromMaryEverestBoole................................ 347
PaolaMagroneandAnaMillánGasca
AntanasMockusandtheCivilRoleofaMathematician.................... 363
CarloTognato
