Premier Mathematical Wood Sculptures
Inspired by Mathematica®
Designed and Produced by David von Seggern, Ph.D.
Explore this website and then order a custom-made mathematical wood figure for yourself or as a gift.
The designer/producer is the author of CRC Standard Curves and Surfaces with Mathematica®, 3rd Edition (2016).
The purpose of this craft is to create high-quality wood representations of 3-D figures having a mathematical (algebraic or trigonometric) description. Although there are many websites and programs to view a 3-D mathematical figure in a virtual way, a tangible, 3-D representation of such a figure is a perfect way to celebrate one's love of abstract mathematics.
A typical production is the hypercube shown here. In this example, the wood pattern is only one of many possible ones that can be produced.
You may wonder immediately how much my figures cost. Expect to be quoted $100 US or more for a custom-made figure. These are individually handcrafted pieces, not assembly-line productions. See the How to Order page for more information.
To some, the vagaries of wood appearance may seem to defeat the purpose of rendering mathematical surfaces into artful creations. However, choosing wood materials for rendering mathematical figures introduces a completely different and separate element to the final product. The result is a visually interesting contrast between the perfectly abstract and smooth mathematical shape and the subelements of wood pieces with their varying patterns. The overall effect is to introduce another full dimension to the finished work, a richly textured and warm dimension which cannot easily be achieved in plastic, ceramics, or metal. By using more than one type of wood, especially if there are stunning differences among the woods chosen, even another dimension is produced.
See additional mathematical functions rendered in 2-D wood products (clocks, breadboards, trivets, etc.) at my Etsy shop.