Gauss' Hidden Menagerie: From Cyclotomy to Supercharacters

Authors

Stephan Ramon Garcia, Pomona CollegeFollow
Trevor Hyde, The University Of Michigan
Bob Lutz, The University Of Michigan

Document Type

Article

Department

Mathematics (Pomona)

Publication Date

2015

Keywords

Gaussian periods, polygons, cyclic supercharacters, cyclotomic polynomials

Abstract

We seek here to study Gaussian periods from a graphical perspective. It turns out that these classical objects, when viewed appropriately, exhibit a dazzling and eclectic host of visual qualities. Some images contain discretized versions of familiar shapes, while others resemble natural phenomena. Many can be colorized to isolate certain features; for details, see "Cyclic Supercharacters."

Comments

Final published version can be found at: Garcia, S.R., Hyde, T., Lutz, B. (’13), Gauss’ Hidden Menagerie: From Cyclotomy to Supercharacters, Notices of the American Mathematical Society 62 (2015), no.8, 878-888.

Rights Information

© 2015 American Mathematical Society

DOI

10.1090/noti1269

Recommended Citation

Garcia, S.R., Hyde, T., Lutz, B. (’13), Gauss’ Hidden Menagerie: From Cyclotomy to Supercharacters, Notices of the American Mathematical Society 62 (2015), no.8, 878-888.