ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Quaquaversal tiling

Quaquaversal tiling is like playing with blocks to create a special pattern on a flat surface. Imagine you have different kinds of shapes, like squares, triangles, and diamonds, and you want to arrange them in a way that makes them all fit together perfectly, without leaving any gaps.

But here’s the tricky part: you don't just want to arrange them in a straight line or in rows, you want to make them fit together in all directions. That means no matter which way you look at them - up, down, left, right, or even diagonally - they all fit together perfectly without any empty spaces.

This special arrangement of blocks is called a quaquaversal tiling, because it covers the entire surface like a carpet without any empty spaces. It’s kind of like those puzzle games where you have to fit irregular shapes into a grid without leaving any blank spaces.

Scientists and mathematicians are interested in quaquaversal tiling because it can be found in nature, such as in the scales of a pineapple, the pattern on a snail’s shell or the skin of a watermelon. Moreover, engineers use quaquaversal tiling to design certain structures, like the antenna on a radio telescope, because it helps them to achieve maximum coverage with minimal waste of space.

In summary, quaquaversal tiling is a way of arranging different shapes to perfectly cover a surface, without any spaces or gaps, and it can be found in nature and used in engineering design.