What Are the Shapes That Make Up Our World?

According to Galileo (1564–1642), circles, triangles, and other geometric figures were the forms that constitute the universe. But can the structures of the universe—from the smallest subatomic particle to the stars—really be measured and described with the means of geometry?

The Greeks viewed the “Platonic solids” as the atoms of the world. Today, we speak of the curved spacetime of the universe. This exhibition provides information on why the hexagon is one of nature’s favorite shapes and what a snowflake has to do with mathematics.

Become a geometer yourself! Measure angles, lengths, and surfaces with the world’s most modern instruments and discover how navigation with the GPS system works.