Compound transformations

This article looks at the importance in mathematics of representing places and spaces mathematics. Many famous mathematicians have spent time working on problems that involve moving and mapping things.

Have you ever noticed how mathematical ideas are often used in patterns that we see all around us? This article describes the life of Escher who was a passionate believer that maths and art can be intertwined.

A gallery of beautiful photos of cast ironwork friezes in Australia with a mathematical discussion of the classification of frieze patterns.

Patterns that repeat in a line are strangely interesting. How many types are there and how do you tell one type from another?

Proofs that there are only seven frieze patterns involve complicated group theory. The symmetries of a cylinder provide an easier approach.

An account of how mathematics is used in computer games including geometry, vectors, transformations, 3D graphics, graph theory and simulations.