Tessellation Proliferation
2026-10-30
We may think of tessellation as being about how to tile a flat plane but this week we reveal how repeating patterns actually occur all over the place, and can even help us solve some of nature's most complex problems.
The presenters start with the simple principal that for shapes to fill a space without leaving any gaps or overlapping, the angles in the corners have to add up to exactly 360° - which means squares, triangles and hexagons are all strong contenders. Then they try their hand at creating their own tiles, based on a technique referred to as the 'Escher' method.
If you have an everyday mystery for the team to investigate, contact them on [email protected].
Contributors:
Dr Katie StecklesProf Mark MiodownikDr Vince Gallo
Producer: Lucy TaylorExecutive Producer: Sasha FeachemA BBC Studios Production
Curious Cases
BBC Radio 4- No. of episodes
- 170
- Latest episode
- 2026-10-30
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Hannah Fry and Dara Ó Briain tackle listeners' conundrums with the power of science!