Events

This talk presents the history of Roger Penrose’s eponymous diagrams, which have become paradigmatic representations of black holes, gravitational radiation, and the causal structure of spacetime. Beyond Penrose’s well-known connect to Dutch artist M. C. Escher,  I argue that Penrose applied the same sort of visual analysis in his relativistic diagrams as in his early explorations of art and the psychology of perception—what he called “impossible objects.” As the diagrams circulated through the theoretical physics community, they functioned as “boundary objects,” allowing connections to related fields of inquiry such as astronomy and cosmology. This work supports the view that diagrams have a special role within scientific practice and that science and mathematics are continuous with other forms culture. 

Zoom

Monday, March 23, 2026 9:30 AM

Inperson
BHI Conference Room and Zoom