Proceedings of Bridges 2025: Mathematics and the Arts
Pages 625–632
Workshop Papers
Abstract
Numbers play a crucial role in human culture, from simple daily tasks to complex scientific achievements. Rational numbers have been utilized for thousands of years and nowadays, we tend to represent them as decimals or fractions. These representations reveal intriguing patterns that have captivated both mathematicians and artists. Converting numbers into an image can be done in many ways, as for example through string art. We propose a workshop where participants are invited to create string art designs derived from decimal representations of rational numbers. By dividing a circle into 10 equal parts numbered from 0 to 9, infinitely repeating decimals can be transformed into visual paths defined by the sequence of digits. The resulting images have an artistic appeal reinforced by an unexpected common vertical reflection symmetry.