Pliers Islamic, Art and Mathematics

2007/03/01 Rementeria Argote, Nagore - Elhuyar Zientziaren Komunikazioa

• Matematika
• Historia

In Islamic decoration, they have long been used tiled with complicated geometric figures, called girih. From a mathematical point of view, some American experts discover that these images are almost perfect quasicrystals.

Quasicrystals have a symmetry of five, ten and twelve sides that overlap turning the fifth, tenth or twelve of a circle. The image they form seems regular, but is not exactly repeated. An example of this is the setting of the Darb-i-Imam Shrine of Iran, from 1453.

Before they thought that to make the garlands it was enough with the help of the compass and the rule, and to use different tiles. But it is clear that to achieve this complex geometry more was needed, and surely it would have been the support of Arab mathematicians so advanced at that time.

Photo: C. C. Dudley and M. Elliff.