== == Originally, tessellation described the process of making mosaics. The Latin ''tessella'' is a small piece of clay, stone, or glass used to make mosaics. Many mathematical problems require covering large areas with small shapes with no gaps. The computer-aided engineering (CAD) tool called finite element analysis (FEA) also requires "tesselation" (also called "meshing") -- dividing large, complex shapes into smaller, easy-to-analyze shapes. Many artists and mathematicians are fascinated by the problem of covering large areas with no gaps, using one repeating identical shape or a few repeating shapes. There are exactly 17 such wallpaper groups, including the 3 regular tilings. Fitting together identical shapes. For example a hexagon tessallates.
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