Content about “
hyperbolic geometry

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A triangular tiling of the hyperbolic plane

A (hi)story of geometry

A story from geometry shows how developments in mathematics have fundamentally changed the way we think about the world around us.

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What is a square?

If a shape has equal sides with 90 degree angles between them then it's a square, right? Well, not quite...
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How new geometries reshaped our world

The 19th century experienced a geometrical revolution. Find out how the new geometries that were discovered shaped philosophy, science, culture and art.
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Editorial

The Plus anniversary year — A word from the editors

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The trouble with five

Squares do it, triangles do it, even hexagons do it — but pentagons don't. They just won't fit together to tile a flat surface. So are there any tilings based on fiveness? Craig Kaplan takes us through the five-fold tiling problem and uncovers some interesting designs in the process.
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limit set

Non-Euclidean geometry and Indra's pearls

If you've ever redecorated a bathroom, you'll know that there are only so many ways in which you can tile a flat plane. But once you move into the curved world of hyperbolic geometry, possibilities become endless and the most amazing fractal structures ensue. Caroline Series and David Wright give a short introduction to the maths behind their beautiful images.

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Mathematical mysteries: Strange Geometries

The famous mathematician Euclid is credited with being the first person to axiomatise the geometry of the world we live in - that is, to describe the geometric rules which govern it. Based on these axioms, he proved theorems - some of the earliest uses of proof in the history of mathematics.