![]() ![]() Repeat step 2 with each of the smaller triangles (image 3 and so on).(Holes are an important feature of Sierpinski's triangle.) Note the emergence of the central hole-because the three shrunken triangles can between them cover only 3 / 4 of the area of the original. Shrink the triangle to 1 / 2 height and 1 / 2 width, make three copies, and position the three shrunken triangles so that each triangle touches the two other triangles at a corner (image 2).The canonical Sierpinski triangle uses an equilateral triangle with a base parallel to the horizontal axis (first image). Start with any triangle in a plane (any closed, bounded region in the plane will actually work).The same sequence of shapes, converging to the Sierpinski triangle, can alternatively be generated by the following steps: This process of recursively removing triangles is an example of a finite subdivision rule. Repeat step 2 with each of the remaining smaller triangles forever.Įach removed triangle (a trema) is topologically an open set.Subdivide it into four smaller congruent equilateral triangles and remove the central triangle.The Sierpinski triangle may be constructed from an equilateral triangle by repeated removal of triangular subsets: You can also use pieces of clay, bits of gummy candies, or other similar (sticky) material.The evolution of the Sierpinski triangle. The best material for this is mini marshmallows you can stick the ends of the toothpicks into the marshmallows to connect them. You’ll also need something to connect the toothpicks together.Building Towersįor this activity, you will need some construction materials: If you want to try a more complicated version, cut two different squiggles out of two different sides, and move them both. Color in your basic shape to look like something - an animal? a flower? a colorful blob? Add color and design throughout the tessellation to transform it into your own Escher-like drawing.Ĩ. The shape will still tessellate, so go ahead and fill up your paper.ħ. Then move it the same way you moved the squiggle (translate or rotate) so that the squiggle fits in exactly where you cut it out.Ħ. On a large piece of paper, trace around your tile. It’s important that the cut-out lines up along the new edge in the same place that it appeared on its original edge.ĥ. You can either translate it straight across or rotate it.Ĥ. Cut out the squiggle, and move it to another side of your shape. Draw a “squiggle” on one side of your basic tile.ģ. The first time you do this, it’s easiest to start with a simple shape that you know will tessellate, like an equilateral triangle, a square, or a regular hexagon.Ģ. Here’s how you can create your own Escher-like drawings.ġ. Work on the following exercises on your own or with a partner. Explain why regular pentagons will not tessellate.Use angles to explain why regular hexagons will tessellate.Use the fact that the sum of the angles in any quadrilateral is 360° to explain why every quadrilateral will tessellate.Repeat this process with each of the other tiles.Can you use many copies of a single triangle to tessellate the plane? ![]() Can you fit the squares together in a pattern that could be continued forever, with no gaps and no overlaps? Can you do it in more than one way? In each problem, focus on just a single tile for making your tessellation. You will need lots of copies (maybe 10–15 each) of each shape below. Work on these exercises on your own or with a partner. Tessellations are often called tilings, and that’s what you should think about: If I had tiles made in this shape, could I use them to tile my kitchen floor? Or would it be impossible? On Your Own The first two tessellations above were made with a single geometric shape (called a tile) designed so that they can fit together without gaps or overlaps. So we’ll focus on how to make symmetric tessellations. It’s actually much harder to come up with these “aperiodic” tessellations than to come up with ones that have translational symmetry. The Penrose tiling shown below does not have any translational symmetry. Many tessellations have translational symmetry, but it’s not strictly necessary. The idea is that the design could be continued infinitely far to cover the whole plane (though of course we can only draw a small portion of it). 58 Geometry in Art and Science TessellationsĪ tessellation is a design using one ore more geometric shapes with no overlaps and no gaps. ![]()
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