The Challenge: Create this decagon using the symmetries visible in the piece. The central images are rhombi.
Materials Needed: compass or ruler, could also use graphing software (see below!)
Math concepts you could explore with this challenge: angles, circles, geometric construction, geometry, polygons, symmetry, vertices/intersetions.
The Challenge: Create the above tessellation using compass and straight edge or isometric grid paper.
Materials Needed: compass, straight edge, grid paper, possibly isometric paper. Math concepts you could explore with this challenge: angles, circles, geometric construction, geometry, Islamic geometry, lines, symmetry, vertices/intersections.
The Challenge: Create the tessellation above using a compass and straight edge.
Materials Needed: Compass, straight edge, possibly grid paper
Math concepts you could explore with this challenge: angles, circles, geometric construction, geometry, Islamic geometry, lines, symmetry, vertices/intersections.
The Challenge: Create all of the possible “stars” given a certain number of vertices.
Materials Needed: Pencil/paper
Math concepts you could explore with this challenge: angles, arithmetic, circles, combinations & permutations, lines, proportions/ratios, symmetry, vertices/intersections
Given what’s happening in my community right now, I felt it was necessary to highlight some Black brilliance today.
The Challenge: (Re)create a Sona drawing. I did a couple hours of research yesterday (which is totally insufficient to fully understand it), but what I can tell you is that these drawings originate with the Chokwe people in southwestern Africa, specifically Angola and the southern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The drawings are told in conjunction with a story, and the goal of most is to draw them in as unbroken a line. Please check out some of the resources below, and if you have others to add, I’d love to see them and link them here.
Materials Needed: grid, pencil, paper, perhaps graphing software.
Math concepts you could explore with this challenge: angles, counting, geometry, graph theory, proportions/ratios, slope, symmetry, vertices/intersections
The Challenge: This is a modular origami (7 squares) spinning top.
Materials needed: 7 squares of paper. Any paper will do, it doesn’t need to be origami paper.
Math concepts you could explore with this challenge: angles, geometry, origami, polygons, symmetry, vertices/intersections
The Challenge: Construct a rectangle using a compass.
Materials needed: Compass, straight edge, writing utensil
Math concepts you could explore with this challenge: angles, circles, geometric construction, geometry, lines, polygons, slope, symmetry, vertices/intersections
The Challenge: Create a penrose triangle.
Materials needed: Pencil, paper, etc.
Math concepts you could explore with this challenge: angles, isometric grids, perspective, vertices/intersections
The Challenge: Build yourself a wobbler. Wobblers are 2 circle (or 2 ellipse!) constructions that have a constant center of mass. Or rather, a center of mass that doesn’t move up and down as the wobbler rolls. Thus, resulting in a satisfyingly continuous “wobble”.
Materials Needed: cardboard, ruler, boxcutter or scissors
Math concepts you could explore with this challenge: algebra, angles, circles, geometry, proportions/ratios, symmetry, vertices/intersections
The Challenge: Create your own version of Matt Henderson’s triangle incenters.
Materials needed: Paper? Pencil? Origami? Graphing software? (There are lots of options here.)
Math concepts you could explore with this challenge: angles, geometry, polygons, symmetry, vertices/intersections
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