| | | Aperiodic Tiles
“Algebra is nothing more than geometry, in words.
Geometry is nothing more than algebra, in pictures” (Sophie Germain)
As every schoolchild knows (and the honey bees!), a pile of unmarked regular hexagonal tiles can cover a two dimensional surface without gaps in a periodic pattern. However, is it possible to annotate the tiles such that the resulting tiling is aperiodic? In the art exhibition hall, a two day challenge, to which each visiting group of school pupils could contribute, was to add a few tiles to those already placed that would result in a large floor area tiled aperiodically. The stack of tiles came in two colours, either blue or red, each being a reflection of the other. For each group of pupils willing to give it a go, after a brief explanation of the matching rules to be followed, they were let loose upon the project...
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