Tiles, Tiles, Tiles!

January 13, 2009 11:13 AM

The Tiling Database. Browse some random patterns. Or narrow down your search here.
Looking for an ornament in the Alhambra? Or a spiral tiling? Or perhaps a Topkapi scroll?
posted by vacapinta (10 comments total)

Neat stuff.

About the Topkapi Scroll, it's a bit of a shame that they don't mention that it's a pattern made out of Girih tiles, and that the shapes you see aren't the actual tiles that make the pattern (which is an interesting part of girih patterns). So for instance there isn't a ten pointed star, but a decagon with lines on it that will make the shape of that star. The wikipedia article has some basic information (go ahead and read it, Girih tiles are fantastic).
posted by bjrn at 11:33 AM on January 13, 2009

I like these math magical tiles featured on click opera.
posted by vronsky at 12:16 PM on January 13, 2009

As somewhat of a desktop background junkie, this is awesome.
posted by turbodog at 1:27 PM on January 13, 2009

Favourited, flagged as fantastic, applauded, marriage to this post proposed.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 3:28 PM on January 13, 2009

This is excellent, although I wish I could turn the colors down a bit.
posted by mike_bling at 4:36 PM on January 13, 2009

Neat! Bookmarked. Fascinating info about Girih tiles, too. If I ever take up quilting, I will eschew log cabins and 9-patches in favor of awesomely esoteric tilings like these. Quilting for dorks!
posted by Quietgal at 5:48 PM on January 13, 2009

I couldn't find Penrose tiling aong the non-repeating tilings.
posted by jouke at 8:34 PM on January 13, 2009

The manual mentions that the site can't search patterns (such as Penrose tiles) which are derived from substitution rules.

It's got more than the semi-regulars but certainly not every possibility. Not clear what the overall symmetry group is here (exactly which patterns are included?)
posted by twoleftfeet at 7:04 AM on January 14, 2009

These are beautiful and mesmerizing, especially in higher qualities. Thanks!
posted by not_on_display at 10:22 PM on January 14, 2009

As chance has it, I got an email this morning to forward to my department; but if anyone still reading way down here is in the Cambridge, MA, area, they may be interested, too, in this talk being given today (Jan 15) in a few hours. The site linked to in the announcement complements this post very well.

Dr. Edmund Harris (Imperial College London) speaking on self-similar puzzles

January 15, 2009, 2:00 PM
Museum of Comparative Zoology, Room 101
26 Oxford St. (Cambridge, MA)

All are welcome to attend.

Abstract: Take four squares. They can be put together to form a larger square. Four of these larger squares make huge square and so on. We use self-similar structures like this from Physics (renormalisation) to Numerical methods (for variable precision), even our number system is based on this idea.

As a picture though, a square tiling is a little boring, we see it every morning in the shower. Can we think of other shapes, and collections of shapes that are more interesting both visually and mathematically?

The answer is yes! The discussion will include the Penrose tiling http://tilings.math.uni-bielefeld.de/substitution_rules/penrose_rhomb) and the Nautilus and Conch tilings shown below (these will be available to play with at the talk). These tiles are laser cut from wood. The laser cutter is fed directly the edges of the tiles and we will consider how this is constructed.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Edmund Harriss
Imperial College London
http://www.mathematicians.org.uk/eoh

posted by not_on_display at 8:00 AM on January 15, 2009