Math Monday: Tetrahedron Ripples

Science
Math Monday: Tetrahedron Ripples

By Glen Whitney for the Museum of Mathematics

Math_Monday_banner02_600px.jpg

Before we leave the topic of Sierpinski Tetrahedra, with which many Math Mondays have been concerned, I wanted to highlight the story of one particularly impressive Sierpinski Tetrahedron which has indirectly inspired a host of young makers.

Namely, it’s this record-setting order-seven “Rainbow Tetrahedron,” built in Cleveland in 2002:

A group of kids at the Alexander Hamilton Middle School built this out of 16,384 small paper tetrahedra, and in the course of the project, it happened that children’s author Shelley Pearsall came there on a school visit and saw this in progress. Over time, this project ended up inspiring one of Pearsall’s books, All of the Above. That book, in turn, has inspired a generation of other tetrahedron manufacturers. Here are just a couple of examples.

The Copley Middle School:


Chagrin Falls Middle School:

And one more, a fly-able tetrahedral kite built independently by students in Bakersfield, CA, interestingly enough at about the same time as the Rainbow Tetrahedron in Cleveland:

(Note that this one, although a recursive tetrahedral structure, is not quite a Sierpinski tetrahedron like the others.)

Maybe you can help a local school group in your area to build a giant tetrahedron and be inspired by the beauty of geometry and the joy of making things. Let us know what transpires!

More:
See all of our Math Monday columns

1 thought on “Math Monday: Tetrahedron Ripples

  1. Math Monday: Tetrahedron Ripples | constantvariation says:

    […] via Math Monday: Tetrahedron Ripples. […]

Comments are closed.

Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!
Tagged

Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

View more articles by Gareth Branwyn

ADVERTISEMENT

Maker Faire Bay Area 2023 - Mare Island, CA

Escape to an island of imagination + innovation as Maker Faire Bay Area returns for its 15th iteration!

Buy Tickets today! SAVE 15% and lock-in your preferred date(s).

FEEDBACK