In the first, allow me to thank each and every one of you who has participated in the #MathArtChallenge in the last few months. This is my “last” post. Meaning, I don’t promise to make more Math Art Challenges, but there’s always the chance that something will come up…
All of the #MathArtChallenge-s will continue to be up on this blog, and I really hope that you’ll make use of them in your classes or in your fun time or however brings you joy.
The Challenge: Today, you get Balloon Polyhedra. There’s actually severalpapers written about this, so go check them out.
Materials needed: Twisting balloons, pump, patience Math conceptsyou could explore with this challenge: angles, arithmetics, counting, geometry, graph theory, polygons, polyhedra, symmetry, vertices/intersections
The Challenge: Learn a bit about the code discussed below, and then have yourself or students create some or all of the quilt blocks discussed.
Materials needed: Certainly you can make these as actual quilt pieces. You can also just use a square piece of paper and work on construction within that using paper and pencil. Math conceptsyou could explore with this challenge: angles, arithmetic, geometry, philosophy on math, polygons, symmetry, tessellations.
The Challenge: Following the style of W.E.B. Du Bois’ Data Portraits, update or create a graphic demonstrating current data. For example, below on the left is Du Bois’s portrait comparing Black and white occupations in 1890 and on the right is my recreation using the closest set of matching data I could find in 2018.
Materials Needed: Maybe graph paper, maybe simply regular paper and writing tools. Math conceptsyou could explore with this challenge: Statistics
Materials Needed: Paper, pencil, and probably a good eraser. You could also do this using a whiteboard or other writing surface. Math conceptsyou could explore with this challenge: algebra, arithmetic, counting, fractals, functions isometric, proportions/ratios
The Challenge: Create a visual (or audio?) of the Recamán sequence, created by a Colombian mathematician, Bernardo Recamán Santos (who seems to have very little biographical information out there??). I was first introduced through Alex Bellos and Edmund Harris’s book.
Materials Needed: Straight edge, maybe a compass, maybe a ruler. Paper, riting utensil. Math conceptsyou could explore with this challenge: algebra, circles, counting, functions, proportions/ratios, randomness, sequences
The Challenge: Create a self-repeating pattern – a fractal. You may choose your own design, or perhaps you recreate some of the ones from Ron Eglash’s survey studying the fractal formation of African villages. I did both of these looking at the applet at his website.
Materials Needed: paper and pencil, likely, but you can probably get more creative than that, too! Maybe using sculptural materials? Math conceptsyou could explore with this challenge: angles, fractals