University of Georgia

Mathematics Department Colloquium

Prof. John Sullivan

U. of  Illinois (Champaign-Urbana)

Thursday, March 15, 2001 at 2:30 PM, in 304 Boyd

THE GEOMETRY OF FOAMS


ABSTRACT: Foams are important materials for many practical purposes,
because of their elastic properties, acoustic damping, consistency, and
ability to transport gas.  We will consider mathematical models of soap
bubbles, foams and froths, as collections of surfaces which minimize area
under volume constraints. The resulting surfaces have constant mean
curvature, and obey certain combinatorial rules making them dual to
triangulations.