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Spiral hexagonal circle packings in the plane

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Abstract

We discuss an intriguing geometric algorithm which generates infinite spiral patterns of packed circles in the plane. Using Kleinian group and covering theory, we construct a complex parametrization of all such patterns and characterize those whose circles have mutually disjoint interiors. We prove that these ‘coherent’ spirals, along with the regular hexagonal packing, give all possible hexagonal circle packings in the plane. Several examples are illustrated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Pure Math. and Math. Statistics, University of Cambridge, 16 Mill Lane, CB2 1SB, Cambridge, England

    Alan F. Beardon

  2. Dept. of Mathematics, University of Tennessee, 37996-1300, Knoxville, TN, USA

    Tomasz Dubejko & Kenneth Stephenson

Authors
  1. Alan F. Beardon
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  2. Tomasz Dubejko
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  3. Kenneth Stephenson
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Additional information

The last two authors gratefully acknowledge support of the National Science Foundation and the Tennessee Science Alliance.

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Beardon, A.F., Dubejko, T. & Stephenson, K. Spiral hexagonal circle packings in the plane. Geom Dedicata 49, 39–70 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01263534

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01263534

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