Crochet, Geometry, and the Coral Reef

Studio 360

Until recently, mathematicians believed you couldn’t represent hyperbolic geometry in real space, but a Latvian math professor discovered a way — using crochet. Some science educators realized those same hyperbolic shapes mimicked the forms in coral reefs. And now their Crochet Coral Reef Project has landed at the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History. Produced by Britta Conroy-Randall.

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