Tuesday Tap Talks with Franklin & Marshall College

Welcome to our new Tuesday Tap Talk series with F&M professors who will share their expertise, wisdom & interests with the West Art community. November 10th will be with Professor Amy Lytle & Etienne Gagnon on The Physics of Knitted fabrics.

The Physics of Knitted Fabrics. Knitters can turn a 1-dimensional, non-stretchy material (yarn!) into custom 2- and 3-dimensional shapes with remarkable elasticity. Building on the expertise of crafters and textile engineers, we’re bringing the unique quantitative and scientific perspective of physics to explore its behavior. We are especially interested in many knitters’ bane: gauge and how to quantify the way in which fabrics deform when stretched. This work is part of a growing interest in the scientific community with potential applications ranging from medical garments to architecture.

Amy Lytle, Professor of Physics, Department Chair of Physics and Astronomy and Etienne Gagnon, Associate Professor of Physics at Franklin & Marshall College