Hans-Peter Schröcker studied mathematics and descriptive geometry at the
University Graz and the Graz University of Technology. After positions
at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and the Vienna University of
Technology, he joined the Unit Geometry and CAD at Innsbruck University
in 2004. There, he did his habilitation and became Associate Professor
in 2011. He also had a visiting position at The University of Tokyo
(July 2010). His research profile includes classical geometry and its
applications, kinematics and robotics, and also convex and discrete
geometry.
Lecture
The shapes of Walter Wunderlich
Walter Wunderlich (1910?1998) was one of the most influential and
productive Austrian geometricians of the 20th century. He served as
professor of descriptive geometry at the Vienna University of Technology
and published more than 200 scientific articles in the field of geometry
and kinematics.
In our talk, we present some of Wunderlich’s contributions to shape
finding. Here, Wunderlich usually studied particular geometric problems,
often related to observations made in everyday life. His descriptions
are very pictorial and clear. While they had little impact at the time
of publication, they are nowadays recognized as pioneering works.
We illustrate this at hand of Wunderlich’s description of the stable
shape for the paper band model Möbius’ one sided surface, his study of
the equilibrium position of a net of equal-sided spatial quadrilaterals
and his contributions to shaky, snapping and flexible polyhedra.
Common to these topics is Wunderlich’s wonderful original treatment,
their later incorporation in more comprehensive but less easily
accessible theories, and their relevance in modern architectural design.
