Voronoi Diagrams explain much more than their apparently random patterns seem to indicate.
With the help of a pen, paper, ruler, set-square and some patience, you can make your very own honeycomb-like Voronoi Diagram (via Metafilter).
Maths-Whizz Blog
Fun Geometry for Maths Geeks
September 17th, 2009Friday Maths Paradox
August 14th, 2009Not what you might generally expect to read on a Friday, but a reminder of an elegant geometry puzzle in today’s Financial Times letters page.
Take a square of 8 x 8 units = 64 square units. Divide it into two triangles of 3 units x 8 units and two polygons with two sides of 5 units and one side of 3 units and rearrange those four pieces into a rectangle – see above. The resultant rectangle will be 5 units by 13 units = 65 square units! One square unit out of nothing?
Without giving too much away, the apparent paradox of taking one shape and making a larger shape using the same pieces in fact isn’t a paradox at all. It’s more of a sneak.
I won’t link directly to a solution, but if you want one, I suggest you give the excellent ‘Cut the Knot‘ website a try.
We suggest you explore their website for puzzles that will draw on and enrich your child’s experience with our maths tutor.
Pythagorean Punning
June 19th, 2009Courtesy of Miazagora’s Homeschool Minutes, a fantastically bad geometry pun.
The wives of three English country gentlemen all became pregnant at about the same time. Two of these gentlemen provided the traditional cow hide as a bedcovering, while the third gentleman sent off to Africa for a hippopotamus skin to use as a bed covering for his wife. The first two women each had a boy while the third was blessed with twin boys.
Which goes to show that: The sons of the squires of the hides is equal to the squire of the hippopotamus.
[groan]
Of course, if you’ve forgotten Pythagoras’ theorem, refresh your memory, or just get some top maths tutoring with Whizz.com!
That’s all! Have a lovely weekend…
Christmas Triangles
December 2nd, 2008Via Year 6 Blog, Here’s a little seasonal ditty to help you remember the properties of Isosceles Triangles (sing to the tune of ‘Oh Christmas Tree’, or ‘O, Tannenbaum’):
ISOSCELES, ISOSCELES,
TWO ANGLE HAVE THE SAME DEGREES
ISOSCELES, ISOSCELES,
YOU LOOK JUST LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE
TWO SIDES THE SAME,
THREE VERTICES
TWO ANGLES HAVE
THE SAME DEGREES
ISOSCELES, ISOSCELES,
YOU LOOK JUST LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE!
I can hear it now! But if you’ve forgotten the tune, here’s a clutch of well-scrubbed choristers singing ‘O, Tannenbaum’ to remind you: