• The five Platonic solids and their connection to root systems 

      [SNAP-2025-004-EN] Böhm, Sören (Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach, 2025-09-05)
      Platonic solids have fascinated humans for thousands of years. In ancient times, they were associated with the elements fire, air, water, earth, and aether. These solids are completely symmetrical three-dimensional polyhedra. ...
    • Patterns and waves in theory, experiment, and application 

      [SNAP-2023-001-EN] Bramburger, Jason J. (Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach, 2023-07-04)
      In this snapshot of modern mathematics we describe some of the most prevalent waves and patterns that can arise in mathematical models and which are used to describe a number of biological, chemical, physical, and social ...
    • Representations and degenerations 

      [SNAP-2022-007-EN] Dumanski, Ilya; Kiritchenko, Valentina (Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach, 2022-10-25)
      In this snapshot, we explain two important mathematical concepts (representation and degeneration) in elementary terms. We will focus on the simplest meaningful examples, and motivate both concepts by study of symmetry.
    • Route planning for bacteria 

      [SNAP-2022-012-EN] Hellmuth, Kathrin; Klingenberg, Christian (Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach, 2022-12-08)
      Bacteria have been fascinating biologists since their discovery in the late 17th century. By analysing their movements, mathematical models have been developed as a tool to understand their behaviour. However, adapting ...