Welcome to Wondrous Words Wednesday, an awesome meme in which bloggers share new words they’ve learned. Check out Kathy’s blog at Bermudaonion.net for links to interesting words.
My word today comes from my son’s geometry class.
Tessellation \te-sə-‘lā-shən\ noun from Latin tessellare to pave; a covering of an infinite geometric plane without gaps or overlaps by congruent plane figures of one type or a few types
Brick walls and tiled floors are everyday examples of tessellations. Of course, they can be much more interesting. To see some cool tessellations, visit the website of artist M.C. Escher.
To learn more about tessellations and tips for how to create your own, check out tessellations.org. It’s a(kid friendly) website where you can find project ideas for the winter break; tessellations are the perfect blend of math and art!
Word Nerd Workout
Wouldn’t it be cool if you could easily create a tessellation and share it with me in the comments? I guess that’s more “arty” than “wordy”. Don’t worry, I don’t expect any of you to take the time to do that. Visit the tessellation site instead.
Have you ever heard of tessellations? Have you ever made one yourself?
Thanks for stopping by!
Julia
Ahh the marriage of art and math (geometry) — I love it, Julia! I had no idea what a tessellation is, but I’ve doodled them for years!
Tessellations are big in the quilting world right now. I made a simple tessellated star quilt for my oldest granddaughter when she graduated from HS. I didn’t know at the time, that it was a tessellation. I have learned about them since that time. There is a whole pinterest board devoted to them http://www.pinterest.com/quiltinspire/tessellation-quilts/.
Excellent example! Thanks Judy!
Oh, I was first introduced to Escher in my middle school ‘AIM’ class. We had to make our own tessellation. It was tough, but I ended up making a really cute little birdie design. I also did a tessellation-like piece for a high school art class that was a swimmer. I was horrible at art though! I’d rather use pen & paper to write than draw!
Cool! My daughter would love to see your swimmer tessellation. Sometimes it’s good to try things out of our comfort zone. 🙂 Speaking of comfort zone, good luck with your marathon this weekend!