Prime quilts.
On this day in 1816 pioneering mathematician Sophie Germain, was awarded a grand prize by the French Academy of Sciences for her work on number theory that revealed patterns produced by vibration. The construction of modern skyscrapers utilizes this applied mathematics foundations developed by Germain at age 40.  Germain died at age 55 from breast cancer. A school and a street in Paris are named in her honor, and certain prime numbers are now referred to as “Sophie Germain primes.”

Matrix IV: All Buttoned Up is a small wall quilt made by Karen Fisher of Tucson, Arizona, for the 2008 Quilt Alliance contest. Fischer wrote in her artist’s statement: My Matrix quilts are based on a simple mathematical formula: columns of background plus rows of foreground create areas of interacting color and value…Each quilt explores scale, color arrangement, and finishing techniques. I plan at least three more, and I continue to have fun with these very formal color explorations.”

View this quilt on The Quilt Index to read more about it’s history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view.

Sources:
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/sciencemath1/a/sophie_germain.htm

Posted by Amy E. Milne
Executive Director, Quilt Alliance
amy.milne@quiltalliance.org