Here’s a tremendous example of how clearly, and in an engaging way, scientific models could be explained to a non-scientific audience.

From Mathematicians crochet chaos - BBC News:

Mathematicians have made a crochet model of chaos - and are challenging anyone else to repeat the effort. Dr Hinke Osinga and Professor Bernd Krauskopf, of Bristol University’s engineering mathematics department, used 25,511 crochet stitches to represent the Lorenz equations. The equations describe the nature of chaotic systems - such as the weather or a turbulent river.

The academics are offering a bottle of champagne to anyone who cares to follow the pattern published in the journal Mathematics Intelligencer.

The idea for the “Lorenz manifold” model came to the couple during the Christmas break two years ago. Dr Osinga, who learnt to crochet when she was seven, was relaxing by crocheting some hexagonal lace motifs.

Prof Krauskopf asked her: “Why don’t you crochet something useful?”

Eighty-five hours of work and some supporting steel wire later, they had something almost a metre across which looks not unlike a big Christmas decoration - which is what they are using it as.

I’ve tried convincing Matt that he might enjoy learning to crochet (or knit, for that matter), since it’s a mathematical process and relaxing to do. He didn’t buy it. He’s seen me rip out many projects and he knows he couldn’t stand it if he had to do the same.

But this is a worthwhile challenge. Here’s a link to the pattern, if you’re brave enough to even entertain the thought of recreating the Lorenz manifold crochet. I would be interested in doing it if it weren’t a meter wide! What would you do with it in a small apartment? Eventually it would swallow you whole. Perhaps if the pattern could be modified to a foot across I would try it. Any takers?

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