Symmetry
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No matter where you stand, the pattern in the pavement outside the student bar at Wadham College never repeats. This is because it is a Penrose tiling, named after the mathematician Roger Penrose who invented it in the 1970s. Penrose tilings not only have many interesting mathematical properties, they also explain the structure of some unusual metallic crystals, called quasicrystals, that were discovered in the 1980s and won Dan Shechtman the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2011. -
The recently restored Leeds Tiled Hall cafe and the Central Library are stunning examples of Victorian architecture and tilings. The parquet floors, tiled walls, ceilings and staircases display amazing colourful tiling patterns made by using shapes like triangles, squares, hexagons, rectangles and octagons. But why were these particular shapes used to create the patterns? What is so special about them? How can you create your own tilings using these ones as stimuli? -
A beautiful walk around Segovia down town enjoying the sgraffiti on the different facades. Segovia is a city located in the geographical centre of Spain, renown for its Roman Aqueduct. It is a World Heritage Site since 1985. -
The Prudential Tower currently possesses the highest platform, the “Prudential Skywalk”, for viewing Boston available to the public. It is the perfect place from which to admire the city and observe the layout of the streets and buildings from a Mathematical viewpoint. -
What do insects learn at school? Mothmatics! The elaborate patterns on the wings of these butterflies are a beautiful example of reflection symmetry/ bilateral symmetry in nature. -
Artists have used friezes to decorate buildings for thousands of years. The symmetries of these patterns are key to their aesthetic beauty, and also to their mathematical significance. -
You can find all the plane symmetries in the Alhambra. -
This is a treasure hunt starting with taking pictures of shapes, (2D, 3D, objects with certain properties symmetry etc...), moving on estimation of height and pythagoras theorem. -
Maths trails have great potential for learning and experiencing mathematics outdoors and getting fit at the same time. Trails can provide great opportunities for mathematical talk, group and collaborative work. They create natural links with many other subjects and are inherently cross curricular. -
The MetroCentre has it's very own 'Maths Trail', a walk that takes you through the Centre solving mathematical puzzles and questions using Metro Units to measure. Thousands of children have completed the trail during the 'Maths in the Malls' events, and it has been such a success that it is now a permanent fixture in the Centre.
