The Mathematics of Clothing Design

Speaker


Étienne Ghys (UMPA, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon)
Date
Wed April 16th 2014, 7:30pm
Event Sponsor
Mathematics Research Center, and Stanford department of Mathematics
Location
Cubberley Auditorium 485 Lasuen Mall Stanford CA, 94305
MRC Event Series

 

In 1878, the Russian mathematician Chebyshev gave a talk in Paris entitled “On cutting cloth”.  In 1993, the British topologist Zeeman, one of the founders of catastrophe theory, lectured in London on “Mathematics applied to dressmaking”.  In 2010, the American geometer Thurston inspired the designer Fujiwara for Miyake’s Autumn/Winter collection. Three mathematicians, three historical moments, three styles, three technologies…  My talk will be an excuse to show beautiful pictures of surfaces (and dresses) and to take a lazy stroll along a path from classical to modern geometry.

You can learn more about Professor Etienne Ghys at http://perso.ens-lyon.fr/ghys/home/