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When Am I Ever Going to Use This?
When Am I Ever Going to Use This?
If you enjoyed solving this problem, you may be interested in a career in graphic design or art!
In the video below, you'll hear from Eryn Pierce, a current Boise State Professor in the Department of Art, Design, and Visual Studies as she discusses the math she uses and encourages others to use in graphic design, as well as advice for those who might be nervous to try to combine their artwork with math.
"If you are just open to using [math] and exploring with it to create, I think that's a switch in your mind that is really important to turn on"
"If you are just open to using [math] and exploring with it to create, I think that's a switch in your mind that is really important to turn on"
In addition to the topics and advice Eryn discusses in her video, Eryn recommends:
Exploring IBM's Carbon Design System (and other company's design systems) to see the mathematical structures they have in place to provide consistency and visual appeal for users.
Checking out Charley Harper's artwork which uses mathematical objects to create nature-inspired artwork.
In this video, Eryn mentions that vector graphics require mathematics, if you'd like to read more about what math is used for this, I think that "Math in... Vector Graphics" article from the Seattle Universal Math Museum provides a nice introduction.
Bezier curves are a big part of vector graphics, and if you want to play around with these curves more after reading that article, I invite you to check out this interactive Desmos Graph created by Todd Fogdall, which was also mentioned in this month's problem!
What We Learned
What We Learned
Below is art that was created and sent in for this month's problem!
Below is art that was created and sent in for this month's problem!
Thank you for taking on the challenge and exploring some mathematical and artistic applications!
Duck
Duck
"For this problem I chose to create my own creation using the “13 Circles” technique and used it as the mathematical foundation to create a duck. I was inspired by the idea of using something simple that was in nature. I realized that ducks have a unique, recognizable shape that worked well with the curves and symmetry of the 13 circles. It took me a while, but eventually, I figured out how to position the beak, eye, head, body, and tail using arcs and intersections on my graph paper to follow the 13 circles technique. After I made this, I explored how to find the equations for some of the circles in my duck art pieces. I found that you can find the center of the circle by hand by locating chords in the circle (which we are learning about now in class!). I also want to experiment copying my art piece in Desmos to find the equations that way. This project helped me to connect the concepts of math and art in a new way that I think will help my understanding of circles in our upcoming unit, as well as help me know how to better utilize Demos and Geogebra. I also enjoyed the problem-solving aspect of this challenge, and I want to create more mathematical animals/art pieces in demos or even attempt the idea of finding circles in logos."
Dragonfly
Dragonfly
Inspired by 13-animals-13-circles
The student who created this image shared a GeoGebra file directly. I uploaded it to my GeoGebra account so that I could share it with you all! Click here to view on GeoGebra
Butterfly
Butterfly
Inspired by 13-animals-13-circles
"For my submission, I chose to make an original creation and made a butterfly. I decided to make a butterfly because it is symmetrical and would make the completion of the task much simpler. It is made up of 17 different circles, the equations of which are included."
Flower by Sadie Kelson
Flower by Sadie Kelson
This flower design created from circles also includes calculations of the area of the circles used.
Using Geogebra and Desmos to Recreate a 13 Animals 13 Circles piece
Using Geogebra and Desmos to Recreate a 13 Animals 13 Circles piece
In our problem of the month, I re-created one of Dorota Pankowska's 13-animals-13-circles pieces (her Rabbit). I wanted to see if I could find the equations of circles that would match her artwork, and then recreate it using inequalities and other effects in Desmos.
Click here to see the my full Desmos graph
I created three videos to describe some of my mathematical art process. These videos are shown to the left, but can also be viewed with the following links:
Learn About Bezier Curves
Learn About Bezier Curves
Bezier Curves were mentioned in our problem, and are a key piece of Vector graphics. If you haven't explored them yet, you might consider watching this video to learn more about them!
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