Add to wishlist
Artists and scientists view the world in quite different ways. Nevertheless, they are united in a search for hidden order beneath surface appearances. The quest for eternal geometrical designs is also seen in the sacred mathematical patterns created by the world's great religions. Tibetan monks fashion chalk mandalas representing the emergence of order in the universe. Moslem architects wrap their buildings in elaborate abstract tessellating designs.
Celestial Tapestry places mathematics within a vibrant cultural and historical context. Threads are woven together telling of surprising influences that pass between the Arts and Mathematics. The story involves intriguing characters: the soldier who laid the foundations for fractals and computer art while recovering in hospital after suffering serious injury in the First World War; the mathematician imprisoned for bigamy whose books had a huge influence on twentieth century art; the pioneer clockmaker who suffered from leprosy; the Victorian housewife who amazed mathematicians with her intuition for higher-dimensional space.
Contents
0:A Magic Carpet Ride
The Fabric of Space, Time and Matter
1:Into the Labyrinth
2:Earth, Air, Fire and Water
3:The Elements
4:The Wheel of Fortune
5:The End of the World is Nigh!
6:Interstellar Overdrive
Weaving Numbers and Patterns
7:Burning Down the House
8:Rampant Rabbits
9:There's Magic in the Air
10:Doctor Illuminatus
11:The Book of Changes
Drawing out the Golden Threads
12:The Vanishing Point
13:The Golden Number
14:Optical Skullduggery
15:The Perils of Parallels!
Higher Space and a Deeper Reality
16:The Laws of Thought
17:Free Love in Many Dimensions
18:Into the Fourth Dimension
19:The Bride Stripped Bare
20:Aunt Alice in Wonderland
Wandering Round the Knot Garden
21:Let's Do the Twist
22:The Gordian Knot
23:All for One and One for All
Casting the Celestial Net
24:Painting By Numbers
25:The Flat Earth Society
26:Mapping the Cosmos
Answers to Puzzles
Further Reading
Quotation Sources
Illustration Credits
Index
Description
Artists and scientists view the world in quite different ways. Nevertheless, they are united in a search for hidden order beneath surface appearances. The quest for eternal geometrical designs is also seen in the sacred mathematical patterns created by the world's great religions. Tibetan monks fashion chalk mandalas representing the emergence of order in the universe. Moslem architects wrap their buildings in elaborate abstract tessellating designs.
Celestial Tapestry places mathematics within a vibrant cultural and historical context. Threads are woven together telling of surprising influences that pass between the Arts and Mathematics. The story involves intriguing characters: the soldier who laid the foundations for fractals and computer art while recovering in hospital after suffering serious injury in the First World War; the mathematician imprisoned for bigamy whose books had a huge influence on twentieth century art; the pioneer clockmaker who suffered from leprosy; the Victorian housewife who amazed mathematicians with her intuition for higher-dimensional space.
