Tessellations & Tenacity: Marjorie Rice’s Story
Math Science History with Gabrielle Birchak
Release Date: 03/04/2025
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info_outline🔎 Episode Overview
In this episode of Math, Science, History, we explore the incredible journey of Marjorie Rice—a homemaker who defied expectations and made a lasting impact on the world of mathematics. With nothing more than curiosity, determination, and a pencil, she discovered new classes of pentagonal tilings that had eluded professional mathematicians for decades. We’ll dive into her early life, the moment that sparked her fascination with tessellations, and the innovative methods she used to uncover patterns that changed mathematical history.
How did an amateur mathematician working from her kitchen table revolutionize an entire field? And what can we learn from her perseverance and unconventional approach to discovery? Join me as we uncover the remarkable story of Marjorie Rice and her legacy in the world of mathematics.
🧠 What You’ll Learn:
✔️ How Marjorie Rice discovered four new types of pentagonal tilings; something experts believed was impossible.
✔️ The importance of independent curiosity in mathematical discovery and how self-taught mathematicians have made major contributions throughout history.
✔️ How pentagonal tilings apply to real-world structures, from architecture to art and even natural patterns.
🏛 Links & Resources:
📖 Read more: Tilings of the Plane by Ehrhard Behrends https://amzn.to/4bcNdUf
📖 Read more: Tessellations: Mathematics, Art and Recreation https://amzn.to/416rkRC
🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com
📚 To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h
🌍 Let’s Connect!
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🎵 Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved.
Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers
From Page to Practice by Bryan Teoh
Shopping with Mom by Gabrielle Birchak
Until next time, carpe diem!