Soft cell
In mathematics, a soft cell is a shape with curved edges that can tile the 2D plane or 3D space.[1] The class of shapes was discovered in 2024 by Gábor Domokos, Alain Goriely, Ákos G. Horváth and Krisztina Regős.[2][3]
The shapes are found in a wide variety of phenomena in nature, such as river estuaries, muscle fibres, and the seashell chambers of the nautilus.[4][5]
According to Maths.ox.ac.uk, "The geometry of [... these] cells is similar to polyhedra, defined by a set of vertices, edges and faces. However [...] the edges of [... these] cells need not be straight and their faces need not be planar".[6]
References
[edit source]- ↑ Ball, Philip (20 September 2024). "Mathematicians discover new class of shape seen throughout nature". Nature. 634 (8032): 13–14. Bibcode:2024Natur.634...13B. doi:10.1038/d41586-024-03099-6. PMID 39304756. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
- ↑ "Mathematicians discover new universal class of shapes to explain complex biological forms | University of Oxford". www.ox.ac.uk. 12 September 2024. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
- ↑ Cutts, Elise (19 November 2024). "Newly Discovered Shape Is a Tessellation Revelation". Scientific American.
- ↑ "Soft cells: Rounded tile shapes echo those found in nature". Phys.org. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
- ↑ Ball, Philip (2024). "Mathematicians discover new class of shape seen throughout nature". Nature. 634 (8032): 13–14. Bibcode:2024Natur.634...13B. doi:10.1038/d41586-024-03099-6. PMID 39304756.
- ↑ https://www.maths.ox.ac.uk/node/74308. Maths.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 2025-11-23