What's new

regular shapes posts

Pack it in with pentagons News

by David Shaw, 23 January 2018 | 0 comments

Image of a grid, each square is a differrent colour and divided up by different shaped pentagons.

What kinds of shapes pack a flat surface with no gaps? Squares are great for floor tiles, and bees stick hexagons together. With a bit of work, you can get any triangle, no matter how stretched, to fit together without gaps. But what about pentagons? These five-sided shapes are awkward, but some types fit together.

Continue reading Pack it in with pentagons

Categories:

Tessellation explorer Activity

by David Shaw, 28 August 2015 | 0 comments

Arranged around one corner there is a hexagon, square, triangle, square.

Think your bathroom is boring? Try tons of terrific tessellations and show that tiling is styling! Find out more about the maths of tessellation in this hands-on maths activity.

Continue reading Tessellation explorer

Categories: