Plato's cube and the natural geometry of fragmentation

DOI10.1073/PNAS.2001037117MaRDI QIDQ5073115zbMATH OpenOpenAlexWikidataFDO

Authors Douglas J. Jerolmack, János Török, Gábor Domokos

Publication date 5 May 2022

Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Search for Journal in Brave)

Copyright license Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1912.04628

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Tilings in (2) dimensions (aspects of discrete geometry) (52C20) Tilings in (n) dimensions (aspects of discrete geometry) (52C22) Geometric probability and stochastic geometry (60D05) High-velocity fracture (74R15)

Abstract: Plato envisioned Earth's building blocks as cubes, a shape rarely found in nature. The solar system is littered, however, with distorted polyhedra -- shards of rock and ice produced by ubiquitous fragmentation. We apply the theory of convex mosaics to show that the average geometry of natural 2D fragments, from mud cracks to Earth's tectonic plates, has two attractors: "Platonic" quadrangles and "Voronoi" hexagons. In 3D the Platonic attractor is dominant: remarkably, the average shape of natural rock fragments is cuboid. When viewed through the lens of convex mosaics, natural fragments are indeed geometric shadows of Plato's forms. Simulations show that generic binary breakup drives all mosaics toward the Platonic attractor, explaining the ubiquity of cuboid averages. Deviations from binary fracture produce more exotic patterns that are genetically linked to the formative stress field. We compute the universal pattern generator establishing this link, for 2D and 3D fragmentation.

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Cited in

(8)

• The mystery of ten wooden blocks: Hjelmslev's geometry of reality
• A two-vertex theorem for normal tilings
• Balancing polyhedra
• On the cracking patterns of brittle rings with elastic radial support under hydrostatic pressure
• An evolution model for polygonal tessellations as models for crack networks and other natural patterns
• On an abrasion-motivated fractal model
• The mechanics of brittle granular materials with coevolving grain size and shape
• The hidden art in things breaking apart

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