Title

The Mathematics of Helaman Ferguson’s Four Canoes

Department/School

Mathematics

Date

2008

Document Type

Article

Keywords

Helaman Ferguson, Four Canoes, University of Saint Thomas

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1080/0025570X.2008.11953546

Abstract

Helaman Ferguson’s massive sculpture, entitled Four Canoes, resides outside of the Science and Engineering Center on the campus of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. (See [1] for pictures of the artwork and installation process). The sculpture consists of two linked granite “donuts”, one red and the other black. Each measures six feet in diameter, and weighs more than three tons. These donuts rest on granite pedestals rising two feet above thirty jagged granite hexagons that tile the ground beneath the sculpture. So, why is it called Four Canoes? What does it have to do with mathematics? What is the significance of the tiling? What rules govern placement of the individual tiles? Is it periodic? Why don’t the donuts wobble or fall off the pedestals? By combining different mathematical approaches, this paper will attempt to answer these questions.

Volume

81

Issue

3

Published in

Mathematics Magazine

Citation/Other Information

Shepard Loe, & Merrick Borovsky, J. (2008). The Mathematics of Helaman Ferguson’s Four Canoes. Mathematics Magazine, 81(3), 167–177. https://doi.org/10.1080/0025570X.2008.11953546

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