Bridges lecture: The Platonic solids as Tiffany lamps, art objects and stepping-stones to higher dimensions

For two millennia, the regular Platonic polyhedra have fascinated not just mathematicians, but also artists and the general public. When realized in appropriate materials, these shapes yield beautiful art objects.

In this seminar, Hans Schepker will present some of his beautiful constructions realized in glass and metal and tell the audience how he conceives of these shapes and then realizes these artful sculptures. Carlo Sequin will analyze why there are exactly five Platonic solids, and then use these insights to derive the number of completely regular polytopes in 4 and higher dimensions.