Classification of Mathematical Sculpture


Ricardo Zalaya, Javier Barrallo




In order to develop the taxonomy of a set of elements, the first step consists in identifying its component elements. For that end, first we have to define the term ?Mathematical Sculpture?, a task somehow complex, as we will see. Then, we will develop the main objective of this paper: to present a classification of mathematical sculptures as exhaustive and complete as possible. We think that the best way for classifying mathematical sculpture consists in establishing general groups for the different areas of Mathematics and then subdividing these groups according to the main mathematical concepts used in the sculpture design. The main interest of this paper is to contribute to the study of Mathematical Sculpture so as to allow for its incorporation in higher education syllabi, either as a separate course or as a part of the course contents of other courses dealing with the relationship between Mathematics and Art.