Higher-Order and Symbolic Computation, 15(4)349-365

Functional Geometry

Peter Henderson, Department of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK

Abstract: An algebra of pictures is described that is sufficiently powerful to denote the structure of a well-known Escher woodcut, Square Limit. A decomposition of the picture that is reasonably faithful to Escher's original design is given. This illustrates how a suitably chosen algebraic specification can be both a clear description and a practical implementation method. It also allows us to address some of the criteria that make a good algebraic description.

Keywords: functional programming, graphics, geometry, algebraic style, architecture, specification

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April 2004 - hosc@brics.dk