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Name______Due Date_____ St. Denis-St. Columba School Math 8 Mrs. Galletti

Tessellation Webquest (100 points)

You are about to embark on an adventure through the world of . People have always been interested in , both planar patterns and spatial patterns. Classification of patterns started two and a half millennia ago with the Pythagorean discovery that there are five regular : the , the cube, the , the , and the icosahedron. Archimedes generalized these to some nearly regular solids, now called Archimedean solids, such as the solids made out of pentagons and hexagons that are used for soccer balls. Kepler found other nearly regular solids and noted the regular tessellations (tilings) of the plane. Tessellations (or tilings, as they are sometimes called) have a broad appeal, maybe because they exemplify how can unify the aesthetic, natural and rational worlds. From the art of M.C. Escher to to the mathematics of Penrose tilings, tessellations fascinate everyone, from mathematician to artist to interior decorator to mathematics student. Check out the Website links below. These websites may you to further websites. Just explore and have fun learning about how to create tessellation art. Begin thinking of one that you will design and make for your individual project. http://www.tessellations.org/tess-escher1.htm http://www.tessellations.org/

How to make one, History of, and M.C. Escher

Create a tesselation http://www.mathpuzzle.com/Tessel.htm

Explanations of types of tessellations http://www.coolmath.com/tesspag1.htm

Definition of, Example, The math of a tessellation, different types of tessellations http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/Tessellate/?version=1.5.0_07&browse Part 1- As you explore the websites (50 points)

Researching and Writing

As you research the concept of tessellation art, please answer the following questions in a paragraph (one page), written in cursive, or typed in size 12 font. Include an introduction and conclusion.

1. Define what a tessellation is. What are its characteristics? Explain the history of tessellations

2. Describe the geometry and other math concepts (ie. , angle of rotation) of a tessellation.

3. Describe which polygons will tessellate and why?

Part 2- After you explore and complete writing assignment. (50 points)

The design (the websites above have detailed instructions for the design)

1) Using a polygon that will tessellate, create a template by cutting a piece(s) from the polygon and move it to another part of the figure, using translation, reflection or rotation. The original figure should be no larger than 1 ½ – 2 inches.

(No Larger-the design will seem larger after you transform it).

2) After template is drawn, trace it onto an index card so it will be easier to work with. Use your template to trace a design over the entire paper (use light graph paper). Your design should have no gaps or overlaps and should be straight and neat. Save your template-this must be handed in with your tessellation.

3) Color your design to make it visually appealing-be creative! Think of an interesting title for your design and write it on the back. After the design is mounted on construction paper you will write the title on the front. Tape your template to top right corner of your design. Print Rubric below and hand it in with your design.

Name______Due Date______

Tessellation Scoring Rubric

Geometric shape has 5 4 3 2 undergone at least one transformation to create a template(included)

Design covers the entire paper and contains no gaps or overlaps.

Design was created from original geometric figure no larger than a 1 1/2 -2 inches

Design is original, interesting and appealing.

Design is straight and neatly colored.

Total Points

25

*The rubric score will be doubled to achieve 50 points.