 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
A Hyperbolic Interpretation of the Banach-Tarski Paradox
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Organization: | Macalester College |
| Department: | Department of Mathematics and Computer Science |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Banach-Tarski Paradox asserts that a solid ball in 3-space may be decomposed into five disjoint sets that can be rearranged to form two solid balls, each the same size as the original ball. The sets are nonmeasurable, so it is impossible to visualize the paradox. However, the algebraic idea underlying the paradox can be given a constructive interpretation in the hyperbolic plane. We show how to combine the Hausdorff paradox in a certain free group with the Klein-Fricke tesselation of the hyperbolic plane. This yields a hyperbolic paradox that uses only triangles and hence can be visualized via Mathematica-generated color images.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
http://www.mathematica-journal.com/issue/v3i4/
|
|
For the newest resources, visit Wolfram Repositories and Archives »
