#MathArtChallenge Day 27: Golden Icosahedron

The Challenge: Create your very own Golden Rectangle Icosahedron!

Materials Needed: Cardboard, markers, scissors/box cutter, string/ribbon/thread
Math concepts you could explore with this challenge: angles, geometric construction, geometry polygons, polyhedra, proportions/ratios, vertices/intersections

Okay. It’s here. The #mathartchallenge today is to make your very own golden rectangle Icosahedron.

You’ll need 3 golden rectangle sized cardboard triangles. And some sort of thread. Many pictures to follow! #mtbos #iteachmath pic.twitter.com/7jH7ujEjM9

— Annie Perkins (@anniek_p) April 11, 2020

(Yes, I absolutely meant “rectangle”, but twitter doesn’t give you an edit button.)

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Step 6: put the rectangle together. They’ll be on the x, y and z axes. #mathartchallenge pic.twitter.com/L5nuGp1EFz

— Annie Perkins (@anniek_p) April 11, 2020

Depending on how you use this activity, you may engage with different mathematical standards. I’ve listed possible connected math content above. Here are a few suggestions for how you might integrate the 8 mathematical practices. Feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments!

1.) Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. People are not actually that great at reasoning in 3 dimensions. In completing this, you’ll need to flex that muscle. Collaborate with your peers to ensure your model is coming together accurately.

7.) Look for and make use of structure. A key to this challenge is the ability to see an invisible structure created by the vertices of each rectangle. When weaving ribbon through, how can you minimize the number of repetitions through each vertex? Is it possible to not double up on any single edge?