The Tiles of Infinity. The intricate tilework on that building inspired him to dig into the history of Islamic art, and eventually to prove that a number of medieval Islamic designs had at their heart patterns that modern mathematicians have only recently been able to describe.
In fact, the young physics whiz found on Islamic buildings the very geometric forms identified by British mathematician Sir Roger Penrose as the foundation elements for elaborate, non-repeating patterns. Lu’s research shows that these patterns had been applied long before Penrose’s discovery—in fact, more than 500 years earlier. Conventional patterns that completely cover a surface, such as those found in floor tilings, are repetitive: Any patch can be moved a certain distance to cover an exactly matching part elsewhere in the pattern.
Pattern in Islamic Art.
Kazakstan. Turkish Delight: Turkey & Its History. Iran: Arts, Culture, History, & Politics. Sufism: Poetry & Greats. Cosmology and Architecture in Premodern Islam.