Crocheting Chaos

Many of us, if forced to pick up needle and yarn, would create an unrecognizable mess.  But mathematicians - with the help of a computer program - were able to crochet a 3-D representation of chaos. 

Chaos is the branch of mathematics that tries to describe seemingly random, unpredictable phenomena like weather and the turbulent flow of water in a stream. 

These natural events are characterized by being extremely sensitive to small inputs.  The famous analogy is that of a butterfly flapping its wings in China causing a tornado in Kansas.

The Lorenz equation is a mathematical formula developed by a meteorologist to describe the chaotic nature of weather.  While studying this equation, Hinke Osinga and Bernd Krauskopf, both from Bristol University, realized that their computer animations could be translated into a crochet pattern.    

Osinga, who learned to crochet at the age of seven, spent 85 hours to complete the 25,511 crochet stitches, which make up the 3-foot wide piece.

"The computer-generated crochet instructions were remarkable," Osinga said.  "After all those months of trying to create it on screen, it was fascinating to see the surface grow under my own hands."

For those who would like to try their hand at generating chaos, the crochet instructions are available in the current issue of the Mathematical Intelligencer, and are downloadable from here.  The authors have offered a bottle of champagne to the first person to finish the needlework.

Osinga has hung hers up as a Christmas decoration.

-- Michael Schirber

Credit: Bristol University