Geometry, Prejudice, Tensegrities

Geometry has been a wonderful attraction since the time of Archimedes. We all have our prejudices and points of view. Some are from the problem of making a structure rigid. Some are from the problem of making a surface flexible. Some are beautiful art. Tensegrities are all of those as collections of points with distance constraints. Some are rigid but very squishy, but they all can be seen and felt.

In a hybrid (in-person and live-streamed) Chats in the Stacks book talk, Robert Connelly, professor in the Department of Mathematics and a pioneer in the study of tensegrities, will discuss the latest edition of Frameworks, Tensegrities, and Symmetry (Cambridge University Press, 2022). Connelly’s research focuses on discrete geometry, computational geometry, and the rigidity of discrete structures and its relations to flexible surfaces, asteroid shapes, opening rulers, granular materials, and of course, tensegrities.

This book talk is hosted by the Mathematics Library and Mann Library. Light refreshments will be served.