- Tessellation in nature:
- Let us explore how bees create their honeycombs. If they are going to tessellate they have a limited number of regular polygons they could choose from, but the hexagon is the most efficient – giving the maximum storage area for the least amount of wax. In fact, the bees do not create hexagons, but circular cells which, as is shown using bubble arrays, pull together to make hexagons due to surface tension. This same principle is behind other polygon formations in the natural world too.
- Topic: Geometry
- Keywords: Polygons, shapes, hexagon, tessellation, efficiency, exterior and interior angles used in the class.
The square-wheeled bicycle rolls smoothly on a track comprised of a series of upside-down catenary shaped humps. A bicycle wheels shaped like a regular polygon can be created with a catenary shaped track. As the number of sides of the polygon increases the height of the upside down catenaries decreases and the track approaches a flat surface.
This photograph is taken from the momath museum in New York.
Topic: Geometry,
Keywords: Square, regular polygons, height, plane surface, inverse variation used in maths.
This photograph is taken from the momath museum in New York.
Topic: Geometry,
Keywords: Square, regular polygons, height, plane surface, inverse variation used in maths.