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Department of Mathematics,
University of California San Diego

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Math 269 - Combinatorics

Satyan Devadoss

University of San Diego

Unfolding geometry at Burning Man

Abstract:

A 2-ton interactive sculpture came to life at Burning Man 2018, the world's most influential large-scale sculpture showcase. Rising 12 feet tall with an 18-foot wingspan in the Nevada desert, the unfolding dodecahedron was illuminated by 16,000 LEDs, requiring 6,500 person hours and \$50,000 in funds. Its interior, large enough to hold 15 people, was fully lined with massive mirrors, alluding to a possible shape of our universe. The unfolding exterior points to the 500-year-old work of Albrecht D$\ddot{\text{u}}$rer, and the tantalizing open problem of discovering a geometric unfolding for every convex polyhedron. We discuss the state-of-the-art, and consider higher-dimensional unfolding analogs, with elegant geometric and combinatorial relationships.

Host: Brendon Rhoades

November 5, 2019

1:00 PM

AP&M 7321

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