Happy birthday to Marjorie Rice (née Jeuck, 1923–2017) who discovered 4 new pentagonal tilings of the Euclidian plane!
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Happy birthday to Marjorie Rice (née Jeuck, 1923–2017) who discovered 4 new pentagonal tilings of the Euclidian plane!
The San Diego mother of 5 (6th died in infancy) completed half a correspondence art course after high school & had no training as a #mathematician but was always interested in #math & art. She began to follow SciAm writer/amateur mathematician Martin Gardner’s column, … 🧵
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Happy birthday to Marjorie Rice (née Jeuck, 1923–2017) who discovered 4 new pentagonal tilings of the Euclidian plane!
The San Diego mother of 5 (6th died in infancy) completed half a correspondence art course after high school & had no training as a #mathematician but was always interested in #math & art. She began to follow SciAm writer/amateur mathematician Martin Gardner’s column, … 🧵
rushing to devour the magazine before her son (who had the subscription). He reported in July, 1975, that Kershner had finally found all the remaining convex polygons which could make #tessellations to tile the plane. The next month, a reader, Richard James III found a new convex pentagon tiler. Rice was inspired to start her own search.
She spent her spare time discretely drawing diagrams on the kitchen table which she hid when her husband, kids or friends stopped by. 🧵2/
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rushing to devour the magazine before her son (who had the subscription). He reported in July, 1975, that Kershner had finally found all the remaining convex polygons which could make #tessellations to tile the plane. The next month, a reader, Richard James III found a new convex pentagon tiler. Rice was inspired to start her own search.
She spent her spare time discretely drawing diagrams on the kitchen table which she hid when her husband, kids or friends stopped by. 🧵2/
She succeeded by February, 1976, & wrote Gardner of her new pentagon type & its variations in shape with which she could tile the plane. She had developed her own notation system to describe shapes. He forwarded Rice’s letter to mathematician & tiling pattern expert Doris Schattschneider. Though she was skeptical of Rice’s odd & unique notation system, which she likened to “hieroglyphics” she was able to validate her results. Rice did not stop there. 🧵3/
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She succeeded by February, 1976, & wrote Gardner of her new pentagon type & its variations in shape with which she could tile the plane. She had developed her own notation system to describe shapes. He forwarded Rice’s letter to mathematician & tiling pattern expert Doris Schattschneider. Though she was skeptical of Rice’s odd & unique notation system, which she likened to “hieroglyphics” she was able to validate her results. Rice did not stop there. 🧵3/
By the following December she found her 4th convex pentagonal tiler & 103 “2-block transitive” pentagon tilings. Through the next decade she continued to find more pentagonal tiling patterns & explored aperiodic tilings & she used her discoveries to make tessellation patterns of flowers, shells, butterflies & bees overlain on the geometric shapes (like on her shirt here).
🧵4/5
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By the following December she found her 4th convex pentagonal tiler & 103 “2-block transitive” pentagon tilings. Through the next decade she continued to find more pentagonal tiling patterns & explored aperiodic tilings & she used her discoveries to make tessellation patterns of flowers, shells, butterflies & bees overlain on the geometric shapes (like on her shirt here).
🧵4/5
Though she was too shy to ever publish her own results or give any talks, Schattschneider convinced Rice & her husband to attend her talk about Rice’s work at a meeting of the Mathematical Association of America in 1995. When she was pointed out in the audience, she received a standing ovation! The Association installed ceramic tiles with 1 of her tilings in the foyer of their headquarters of 1999.
🧵5/5
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