Web site for:
Experiments in Circle Packing

MAA Minicourse #4, San Diego, January 2013


Leaders: Ken Stephenson (Tennessee) and Brock Williams (Texas Tech)

Location/Times: Room 29D, Mezzanine Level, San Diego Convention Center.

  1. Session A: Wednesday, January 9, 2:15-4:15
  2. Session B: Friday, January 11, 1:00-3:00.
Software: the Java program is CirclePack:
  1. WebStart method (preferred): simply click CirclePack.jnlp
  2. Alternate: put CirclePack.jar on your desktop, double-click to start. (Java 1.6+ is required.)

Laptops: Please bring a laptop if you are able, Windows, MacOS, or linux. We anticipate internet access, so early arrival is suggested for setup. (As a backup, the material will also be available on thumbdrives.)

Scripts CirclePack operates almost entirely through specialized "scripts" (*.xmd files) and user interation with the CirclePack GUI.

Scripts, in turn, are most easily loaded via the CirclePack internal browser. You will point that browser to the following web sites:
  1. SessionA.html
  2. SessionB.html
Course Handout: A HandOut.pdf will be provided to each course participant. However, the principal materials are the software and prepared scripts. These will be used via the internet, but you are welcome to download all from scripts. These are straight ascii files, and local copies allow you to make your own modifications.

Mathematics of circle packing: No background in circle packing is required for this minicourse, and only routine computer skills are needed. However, here are resources for those who wish to investigate the topic further:
    "Circle Packing: A Mathematical Tale" by Ken Stephenson, Notices of the AMS, Vol. 50 (2003).
    "Introduction to Circle Packing" by Ken Stephenson, Cambridge University Press (2005) [ISBN 0-521-82356-0]
    "Circle Packing", Chapter 6 of "Explorations in Complex Analysis", MAA Press (2012) [ISBN 978-0-88385-778-6 (print), ISBN 978-1-61444-108-3 (e-book)]
    Extensive (but not complete) bibliography: CP-bib.pdf.
Full Downloads: These *.zip files have all the material for each session. Caution, these are large files.
  1. MaterialA.zip
  2. MaterialB.zip

Contacts:
  1. Ken Stephenson, Univ. of Tennessee, kens at math dot utk dot edu
  2. Brock Williams, Texas Tech Univ., brock.williams at ttu dot edu