The purpose of this book is to analyze the interdisciplinary aspects of mathematics and geometry in reference to nature, art, and architecture.In Chapter 1, we introduce symmetry and its different meanings. Symmetry is a notion, which has been applied in the arts and architecture to find harmony and beauty. It joins aesthetics and practice, science and economy, mathematics and philosophy. In this chapter, we also analyze the influence of Vitruvius and the concept of old symmetry, received by the Renaissance. It is also interesting to note how in contemporary architecture there is often the presence of the "break" of symmetry (for example in the Frank O. Gehry's works).Chapter 2 explains how proportions, and in particular, the golden section, has introduced aesthetic canons that have strongly influenced many artists like Polycletus, and architects, from Ictinus to Le Corbusier.In Chapter 3, we discover how curves and spirals find their application in artistic works, for example in Mycenaean jewelry, and architectural works, from the Baroque of Francesco Borromini to the Land Art of Smithson.Chapter 4 presents the importance and influence that Platonic solids and polyhedrons have had on philosophy and art through different historical periods and different cultures. For instance, we look at how Platonic solids are connected to the theory of Empedocles' elements and Hippocrates' theory of humors.Chapter 5 describes surfaces, discovering how different cultures have used them in different manners, including Roman aqueducts, iron bridges, and finally arriving on modern structures that base their forms on hyperboloids and paraboloids.In Chapter 6, we introduce fractal geometry, as a geometry that tries to explain nature's irregular shapes, trying to overcome the limitations imposed by "old" Euclidean geometry. We also analyze how fractal geometry has influenced architecture in this century.

This is a cultural history of mathematics and art, from antiquity to the present. Mathematicians and artists have long been on a quest to understand the physical world they see before them and the abstract objects they know by thought alone. Taking readers on a tour of the practice of mathematics and the philosophical ideas that drive the discipline, Lynn Gamwell points out the important ways mathematical concepts have been expressed by artists. Sumptuous illustrations of artworks and cogent math diagrams are featured in Gamwell's comprehensive exploration. Gamwell begins by describing mathematics from antiquity to the Enlightenment, including Greek, Islamic, and Asian mathematics. Then focusing on modern culture, Gamwell traces mathematicians' search for the foundations of their science, such as David Hilbert's conception of mathematics as an arrangement of meaning-free signs, as well as artists' search for the essence of their craft, such as Aleksandr Rodchenko's monochrome paintings. She shows that self-reflection is inherent to the practice of both modern mathematics and art, and that this introspection points to a deep resonance between the two fields: Kurt Gödel posed questions about the nature of mathematics in the language of mathematics and Jasper Johns asked "What is art?" in the vocabulary of art. Throughout, Gamwell describes the personalities and cultural environments of a multitude of mathematicians and artists, from Gottlob Frege and Benoît Mandelbrot to Max Bill and Xu Bing. Mathematics and Art demonstrates how mathematical ideas are embodied in the visual arts and will enlighten all who are interested in the complex intellectual pursuits, personalities, and cultural settings that connect these vast disciplines.

This carefully researched survey examines how architects now use digital tools and physics to build spatial constructs that would have been inconceivable even ten years ago. Architecture has always relied on mathematics to achieve visual harmony, structural integrity, and logical construction. Now digital tools and an increasing interest in physics have given architects the means to describe and build spatial constructs that would have been inconceivable even ten years ago. This carefully researched survey of forty-six international projects offers an overview of how different strategies are being employed through accessible illustrations and clear text. Each section presents case studies of projects by globally recognized architects in diagrams, photographs, and texts.

Every age and every culture has relied on the incorporation of mathematics in their works of architecture to imbue the built environment with meaning and order. Mathematics is also central to the production of architecture, to its methods of measurement, fabrication and analysis. This two-volume edited collection presents a detailed portrait of the ways in which two seemingly different disciplines are interconnected. Over almost 100 chapters it illustrates and examines the relationship between architecture and mathematics. Contributors of these chapters come from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds: architects, mathematicians, historians, theoreticians, scientists and educators. Through this work, architecture may be seen and understood in a new light, by professionals as well as non-professionals. Volume II covers architecture from the Late Renaissance era, through Baroque, Ottoman, Enlightenment, Modern and contemporary styles and approaches. Key figures covered in this volume include Palladio, Michelangelo, Borromini, Sinan, Wren, Wright, Le Corbusier, Breuer, Niemeyer and Kahn. Mathematical themes which are considered include linear algebra, tiling and fractals and the geographic span of the volume’s content includes works in the United States of America and Australia, in addition to those in Europe and Asia.

Daniel Jarvis and Irene Naested highlight the natural association between math and art in a series of practical ideas for the classroom, because when students understand the math/art connection, their understanding and confidence increase in both subjects. Through innovative teaching strategies and more than 100 rich learning experiences, Jarvis and Naested give teachers a wealth of engaging tools to explore the math/art connection with their own students. This connection is established through examinations of natural and human-designed objects, from how pine cone scales spiral out in a Fibonacci sequence to how geometric shapes combine in architecture to form some of the most beautiful structures on the planet.

This book celebrates the 15th anniversary of the bi-annual symposium series Mathematics and its Connections to the Arts and Sciences (MACAS), which was first held in 2005 following the continued collaboration of an international group of researchers from ICME Topic Study Group 21. The MACAS-conferences bring together scientists and educators who are interested in the connection between mathematics, arts and science in educational curriculum, while emphasizing on, as well as researching about, the role of mathematics. By pooling together these different approaches and viewpoints between mathematics, arts and sciences, this book reveals possible synergies and paths for collaborations. In view of the challenges of the 21st century, a modern approach to education with a focus on multi- and interdisciplinarity is more important than ever. The role of mathematics assumes a key role in this approach as it is connected to all other disciplines, such as STEM education, physics, chemistry, biology, aesthetics and language, and can serve as a bridge between them. This book discusses, amongst others, the curricular approaches to integrate mathematics and other disciplines, the importance of mathematical modelling and the interdisciplinarity ways for learning and studying of mathematics, as well as the intercultural dimensions of mathematics and mathematics in the digital era. All topics will be presented from very different perspectives and regarding very different contexts, including digitization, culture and sustainability. This unique collection will serve as a very valuable and compact source for all above mentioned scientists and educators, as well as for use in advanced teacher education courses.

Shapes in Action is a book for all those interested in interdisciplinary research and education. It showcases explorations in the realms of mathematics, art, design and architecture at Aalto University in Finland. For a decade, Aalto Math&Arts has been a platform for students and teachers from diverse fields to broaden their understanding of the nature of mathematics and its potential relation to arts, design and architecture. Shapes in Action captures the challenges and rewards of seeking a common language and building collaboration. Contributions by various authors offer insights into the connections between mathematics and arts – both within and beyond academia. Shapes in Action is richly illustrated with photographs showcasing the works created by students in the Aalto Math&Arts courses.