2023-08-03 14:00:12
“The Little History of the Soccer Ball”, by Etienne Ghys (ed. Odile Jacob, 144 pages, 16.90 euros). Lea Girardot
One day I realized that I couldn’t draw a balloon. By this I mean the famous black and white Telstar, used during the FIFA World Cup in Mexico in 1970. I didn’t worry about it, insofar as I was just as unfit to sketch a kangaroo , scroll saw or crowbar. However, I discovered, while reading the fascinating A brief history of the soccer ball (ed. Odile Jacob, 2023, 144 pages, 16.90 euros), by Etienne Ghys, that I was not the only one struggling.
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Even specialists cannot reproduce this ball correctly: that of the Champions League logo (formed of pieces in the shape of five-pointed stars and hexagons) is inaccurate, like that of Qatar’s candidacy for the World Cup (it has an exaggerated number of pentagons).
In reality, the Telstar is a truncated icosahedron. He has twenty faces, but it has been altered a little to be round and without protuberance, which, let’s face it, is more practical for playing football. It is composed of 12 black pieces (each with 5 sides) and 20 white pieces (each with 6 sides), i.e. 32 polygons. But, knowing this, I remain unable to draw a balloon. I have my limits.
Erroneous signs
What reassures me is that even in England, home of Bobby Charlton and David Beckham, the road signs indicating football stadiums are wrong. Moreover, in 2017, the author passionate about mathematics Matt Parker was moved by this and launched a petition to the government, explaining that he “is impossible to build a ball in this way”. Modifying this drawing would also be “the opportunity to raise public awareness of geometry and to make it appreciated”. What a wonderful opportunity indeed! More than 22,000 people have signed.
This did not prevent the government from refusing any modification. It would be expensive. A panel should be kept simple. Its mission is not to raise awareness of geometry. Insofar as it is made to be seen from afar, errors do not matter. What is essential is that it be readable. Either.
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The British government does not stop there and then offers, in its response, arguments worthy of Jonathan Swift: it would be dangerous for a panel to have the slightest educational value; this would require more attention from the driver (he will want to check if the balloon is well represented), would divert him from the road and increase the risk of an accident. In short, to persevere in error is to save human lives; and raising awareness of geometry in such a context is a criminal enterprise. From there to say that a well drawn ball has something murderous, there is only one step.
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