Treat designs as points in N-d space: geodesic transitions where no card jumps rows
shuding · x · 2026-10-27
Shu Ding continues the math-for-UI series. Discontinuity: jump discontinuities in f(x) reveal exactly where cards wrap or columns appear, and jumps in f'(x) reveal bends like a container hitting max-width—so you can find every visual breakpoint without testing a single screen size, going beyond declared CSS breakpoints. Geodesic: every design is a point in an N-dimensional prop space; transitioning between presets means picking a path, and most paths make cards jump rows. The geodesic is the path with fewest jumps—for viewportWidth 900→1700 with maxWidth 1440→960, it finds a path where no card changes rows, unlike changing both props at once.
Related event: Vercel's The Calculus of Interfaces Compiles React UI into Math Functions(11 posts)→
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