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There are two versions of the Tellem applet, the first is for most users, and the second is for those with Mac OS X: Thanks to my son Ben Gould for this version of a Java program to explore the Tellem weaves. An original version was written for the TI-83 calculator. His new version is much faster, permits changes in colors on the fly with almost immediate revision and permits zooming in and zooming out. It also has an inversion button which shows the resulting pattern if the first thread of the first row is a weft thread rather than a warp thread. Here is how to use the program. The top row of buttons represents a repeating color pattern for the warp threads. These buttons toggle from white to blue moving from left to right. The last one in the series can be white, blue or off. The row of buttons on the left side represents a repeating color pattern for the weft threads. It works the same way from the top to bottom. At the bottom are buttons which permit you to zoom in and out. The large button at the right side is the inversion button. The weaves of the Tellem peoples were described by Paulus Gerdes in Geometry from Africa: Mathematical and Educational Explorations. Washington, DC: Mathematical Association of America, 1999. His notation is an excellent way to experiment with the weaves. You might try (3+2) x (3+2) for a start. That would mean 3 white 2 blue repeated in the warp and 3 white 2 blue repeated in the weft. The weaving is plain weave, over one under one in both directions.
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