Susan Goldstine
There are two things I have done for as long as I can remember:
explore mathematics, and create things with my hands. In my
professional academic life, these impulses have merged into my
specialization in mathematics and the arts. I am particularly devoted
to exploring handcrafts, especially those in the fiber arts
traditionally viewed as feminine. The interplay between mathematics
and fiber arts is endlessly fascinating, both in the ways that
mathematics allows for a deeper understanding of knitting, crochet,
weaving, and so forth, and in the ways that these crafts can
illuminate complex concepts in mathematics.
Seed flowers of a daisy are numbered in approximate order of
growth: the older the seed, the smaller the number. Clockwise from
the lower left, the colors show the different remainders upon
division by 55, 34, 21, and 13. The monochrome spirals are
artifacts of the reason that the seeds appear to form Fibonacci
spiral families: seeds whose growth numbers differ by a Fibonacci
number tend to be close enough to touch. The precursor to my Seed
Values prints is a diagram I made on a photograph of a daisy in my
2006 paper, "Dancing Elves and a Flower’s View of Euclid’s
Algorithm." The flower bouquets at my local farmers market
inspired me to try my hand at a more artistic rendition.