One of the leading applications for nonlinear rescaling is for the design of trusses, the complex metal frameworks that support many of the critical components of our built environment, like bridges, electrical transmission lines and radio towers. This illustration shows a mathematical plot pitting cost against the almost countless ways truss cross-beams can be arranged. The goal is to find the optimal arrangement that can be constructed at the lowest cost while still supporting the enormous weight loads of both the equipment mounted to the truss and the truss itself. Credit: Zina Deretsky, NSF