Talk 2

IX Workshop of Probability and Statistics group

CIDMA- University of Aveiro

Speaker: Andreia Hall - DMat/CIDMA, University of Aveiro

Title of the talk: Exploring symmetry and antisymmetry using Truchet tiles

Abstract: In 1704, a French priest named Sebastien Truchet published the book "Memoir sur les Combinasions", where he explored the construction of patterns made from a simple module composed of a square divided by one of its diagonals into two triangles of different colors. Nowadays, the designation Truchet tile is used in the area of graphic design referring to this motif and other variants that give rise to visually attractive patterns.Truchet tiles may be used to tile the plane (periodically or randomly) but also to create rosettes and friezes. In this paper we will consider some rosettes and friezes of Truchet tiles. Our goal is to count how many distinct rosettes and friezes there are.Patterns with Truchet tiles can be found in a variety of real-life applications, including patchwork, tapestries, ceramic panels and facades of buildings. In Portugal, at the beginning of the 19th century, several facades of buildings were covered with white and blue Truchet tiles. In the city of Porto there are more than 40 buildings with these tiles. In Greece, in a small village called Pyrgi, on the island of Chios, there are many ornamental friezes of black and white Truchet tiles carved on the house facades. In addition to such examples, we will also present applications carried out in an educational context, with students and teachers of primary and secondary education.

Andreia Oliveira Hall , PhD in Probability and Statistics, is Associate Professor at the Mathematics Department of the University of Aveiro since 2005. She started her academic career in extreme value theory and later worked in statistical data analysis. Presently she is interested in mathematical education and mathematics and the arts. She teaches mathematics for pre-service primary teachers and for in-service teachers through professional development courses. She is the local coordinator of the Mathematical Circus Project which promotes the interest in mathematics through shows of mathematical magic. In 2020 she did an exhibition of mathematical quilts - Between lines: mathematics through patchwork – at the University of Aveiro.

Orcid: 0000-0001-8759-7927

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