Math and Art (Fun With Graphing Calculators)

Step 1: Enter this equation into your favorite Pokemon emulator.

Step 2: Hit Enter for your own personal BatSignal
http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=batman+equation

Education in mathematics eventually leads to how simple, specific numerical interactions have direct implications in daily life. The world not only obeys the precise formulas of physics, but also finds a biological component of numerical properties. The Fibonacci Series of number sums is not a non-consequential phenomenon – it is an efficient mode of growth seen in flowers, trees, shells, animal anatomy, and even human progress.

The Fibonacci Sequence, a la Ananas comosus.
http://britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/fibslide/jbfibslide.htm

Ted Mosby, puzzled at the perplexing physical properties of the pineapple.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/monkeyonthelam/2280233038/# 

The Golden Ratio, a limit derivation of any Fibonacci Sequence, has been employed as both a natural source of beauty and actively as a human-calculated method of refining art and design for increased aesthetic pleasure. Its natural occurrence was referenced in studies of babies preferring pretty faces over ugly ones, terms relative to proportional adherence to the Golden Ratio.

The Golden Ratio prevails even while Mrs. Smith holds at bay a baby admiring her representation of it.

Dr. Vesna’s lecture included the development of perspective in art, from Giotto’s paintings with depth to Brunnelschi’s vanishing points to Durer’s implementation of shadows. The progression led me to today’s trend of applying fish-eye lens for wide angle pictures/video and camera filters for instant post-modification; both are applications of mathematics for artistic manipulation.

  

The camera used to make this video had a wide angle lens covering 170 degrees of vision that creates a slight fish-eye effect called barrel distortion; combined with first-person filming and the theatrical events, the visual distortion presents a unique, thrilling perspective indeed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySoAaYPzIAQ

Robert Lang’s taking of origami principles and subjecting them to mathematics not only streamlines the practice of designing figures, but it also extends the art to compacting/assembling practical devices. This mathematical deconstruction/reconstruction reaches me through 3D paper creations called papercraft and a program called Pepakura Viewer, where artistic creations are made reproducible by simple mathematical principles.

Pepakura Viewer allows for manipulation and printing of papercraft models uploaded by people who have deconstructed the original model into components for assembly.
http://www.tamasoft.co.jp/pepakura/gallery/gallerydetails.php?id=474

Featured here is a Bulbasaur I assembled last year.

Henderson takes mathematics’ characterization of a fourth dimension to make the artistic internalization that since a fourth dimension exists, even to an unknown extent, the world promises human expansion in a reality not bound by current knowledge, where one can sometimes escape the traditional principles set forth by mathematics and science and subject the world to experimentation and maybe even artists can make discoveries of truths that govern dimensionality.

Dory understands the artist's struggle against confinement from personal expression. http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/dory%20gif

I thoroughly appreciated Flatland for its recognition of the fallibility of human assumptions. I knew that if I only read the text I would remain as ignorant of dimensional properties as the characters it portrayed, so I watched one film version that felt like it perfectly portrayed Abbott’s satire of social structure and chauvinism in addition to demonstrating the dimensional properties defined by mathematics. What was even more thrilling was falling into the same stupor as the main character that realized these principles could be extrapolated to challenge traditional thinking.

Flatland: The Film (2007)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyuNrm4VK2w

Art+Com’s Floating Numbers exhibits the cultural significance behind numbers besides 42 being The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. The exhibit recognizes how human progress is quantifiable via dates, amounts, etc. and specific historical events like scientific achievements/inventions and years artistic movement occurring throughout and in reaction to the age of industrialization and societal growth can be expressed through numbers, giving them a level of significance that makes us feel intimately tied to mathematics’ influence.

Artemis Fowl suffers from an obsessive compulsive disorder regarding the number four, resulting in comically tragic antics usually associated with such obsessions.
http://www.amazon.com/Atlantis-Complex-Artemis-Fowl-Book/dp/B004F9OVA2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373232676&sr=8-1&keywords=the+atlantis+complex

Gessler’s comments on the culture of physically embodying information promotes the idea that mathematics has been and has continued to preserve scientific practices like through compasses indicating location and artistic techniques like through music boxes. In addition, the human need to continuously preserve our findings in both science and art will give mathematics a continuous seat at being an intermediary of human discovery.

Behold, another physical embodiment of information, not just a cool toy. 
http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/eefe/?srp=2 

Sources:

Abbott, Edwin. "Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions." ibiblio. Princeton University Press, n.d. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/eaa/FL.HTM>.

ART+COM. "FLOATING.NUMBERS." ART+COM. Jewish Museum Berlin, 2004. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://www.artcom.de/en/projects/project/detail/floatingnumbers/>.

BBC. "Babies prefer beautiful faces." BBC. BBC, 2004. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/news_features/2004/baby_faces.shtml>.

Britton, Jill. “Fibonacci Numbers in Nature.” Jill Britton’s HOME. Camosun College, 2011. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/fibslide/jbfibslide.htm>.

Colfer, Eoin. “The Atlantis Complex (Artemis Fowl, Book 7).” Amazon.com, 2010. Web.  7 Jul 2013. <http://www.amazon.com/Atlantis-Complex-Artemis-Fowl-Book/dp/B004F9OVA2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373232676&sr=8-1&keywords=the+atlantis+complex>.

Ehlinger, Ladd; Superheavyweight. Flatland: The Film (2007). Youtube.com, 2012. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyuNrm4VK2w>.

Henderson, David. "The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art: Conclusion." Leonardo 17.3 (1984): 205-210. JSTOR. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/1575193>.

Lang, Robert, perf. Robert Lang: The math and magic of origami. TED Conferences, 2008. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://www.ted.com/talks/robert_lang_folds_way_new_origami.html>.

Liman, Doug, dir. Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Writ. Simon Kinberg. 20th Century Fox, 2005. Film. 7 Jul 2013.

Marten. “Bulbasaur.” Tama Software Pepakura Gallery, n.d. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://www.tamasoft.co.jp/pepakura/gallery/gallerydetails.php?id=474.>

Monkey on the lam. “HIMYM and Pineapples.” Flickr, 2008. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/monkeyonthelam/2280233038/#>.

Naishuller, Ilya; Valyaev, Sergey. “Biting Elbows - 'Bad Motherfucker' (Insane Office Escape 2) COMPLETE.” Youtube.com, 2013. Web. 7 Jul 13. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySoAaYPzIAQ>.

Ruska, Jimmy. Golden Ratio- The Perfect Face & Change the Sex of People. Youtube.com, 2007. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO3o9drC1mQ>.

Socionomics. Fibonacci, Fractals and Financial Markets - Socionomics.net. Youtube.com, 2007. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RE2Lu65XxTU>.

Teenage Dirtbag BBy. “30 day Disney Challenge: Day 7- Favorite Sidekick: Dory [Finding Nemo].” Tumblr, 2012. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9ji2sCfjh1rwlx7jo1_r1_500.gif>.

 ThinkGeek.com. “Doctor Who 4GB TARDIS Flash Drive.” Geeknet, n.d. Web. 7 Jul 2013. < http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/eefe/?srp=2>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov" Lecture. Uconlineprogram. Youtube, 9 Apr 2012. Web. 7 July 2013.

Wertheim, Margaret. "Things That Think: An Interview With Computer Collector Nicholas Gessler." The Institute for Figuring. Cabinet, 2006. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://www.theiff.org/publications/cab21-gessler.html>.

WolframAlpha. “Bat-insignia.” Wolfram Alpha, 2013. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=batman+equation>.