Wang tile

English

This set of 11 Wang tiles will tile the plane, but only aperiodically.

Etymology

First proposed by mathematician, logician, and philosopher Hao Wang in 1961.

Noun

Wang tile (plural Wang tiles)

1. (mathematics) A square tile with a colour on each side. Possible sets of such tiles are studied to determine whether they can tile the plane (arranged with like colours touching, and without rotations or reflections) and whether this can be done in a periodic pattern.