ThirstyFish

Tens of buildings on and around South Street Philadelphia are decorated with Mosaic Murals. This outdoor art exhibition is the work of artist Isaiah Zagar.

Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. The earliest known mosaics were found in Mesopotamia and are dated to about 3000 B.C. Mosaics have appeared in many cultures; Ancient Greek, Roman and North African, Christian, Byzantine, Jewish, and Islamic.

Mathematicians have also had interest in mosaics. The best way to arrange variously shaped tiles can lead to complicated mathematical problems. Tessellation is the process of creating a two dimensional plane using the repetition of a geometric shape with no overlaps and no gaps. For example, honeycomb is an example of a tessellation. Did you ever wonder why honeycomb cells are hexagonal? You can find the answer in the video "Mathematics of the Honeycomb".

Song of the Day: I'm a King Bee - Slim Harpo (1957)