Uploaded April 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Math Encounters: Matchings and Couplings: Domino tilings of a chessboard and other tales — D. Randall
Covering a chessboard with dominos might sound like a curious blend of old pastimes, but in reality, these tilings reveal rich and beautiful mathematical structures. Interesting patterns can be found in the geometric arrangements of dominos, as well as in the numerical counts of tilings of chessboards and related regions. Alternatively, viewing each domino on the chessboard as pairing a black square with one of its neighboring red squares, tilings can be interpreted as assigning 32 pairs. Viewing these “matchings” in a variety of contexts, Georgia Tech ADVANCE Professor of Computing Dana Randall shares a surprising array of applications, from the physics underlying collections of diatomic molecules to dating algorithms for forming couples in a community. Special introduction by Peter Winkler, William Morrill Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Dartmouth College.
Math Encounters is a public presentation series celebrating the spectacular world of mathematics, presented by the Simons Foundation and the National Museum of Mathematics.
For further information, call the National Museum of Mathematics at
212-542-0566 or e-mail mathencounters@momath.org.
Math Encounters: Matchings and Couplings: Domino tilings of a chessboard and other tales — D. Randall
Covering a chessboard with dominos might sound like a curious blend of old pastimes, but in reality, these tilings reveal rich and beautiful mathematical structures. Interesting patterns can be found in the geometric arrangements of dominos, as well as in the numerical counts of tilings of chessboards and related regions. Alternatively, viewing each domino on the chessboard as pairing a black square with one of its neighboring red squares, tilings can be interpreted as assigning 32 pairs. Viewing these “matchings” in a variety of contexts, Georgia Tech ADVANCE Professor of Computing Dana Randall shares a surprising array of applications, from the physics underlying collections of diatomic molecules to dating algorithms for forming couples in a community. Special introduction by Peter Winkler, William Morrill Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Dartmouth College.
Math Encounters is a public presentation series celebrating the spectacular world of mathematics, presented by the Simons Foundation and the National Museum of Mathematics.
For further information, call the National Museum of Mathematics at
212-542-0566 or e-mail mathencounters@momath.org.
