MTE3103 Geometry

Topic 1

Plane Tessellations

1.1 Synopsis The use of mathematics in art and design is very wide. This topic explores the use of mathematics in this area focusing on the creation and analysis of designs in two-dimensional plane. The type of tessellations discussed included regular, semi-regular and irregular tessellations. Escher-type tessellations also will be discussed. A new branch of mathematics, i.e. Fractal Geometry also will be introduce here. 1.2 Learning Outcomes . !. #. 1.3 Explain the types of tessellations. "esign simple Escher-type tessellations. $alculate the similarity dimension for Fractal Geometry. Conceptual Framework

1.4

Tessellation

A tessellation is a pattern which completely covers a surface or plane without any overlapping of the shapes used. %implest example for tessellations include the types of tillings on most bathroom floors. %ome exciting examples include &slamic Tiles star pattern and Escher-type tessellation. Escher-type tessellation will be discuss later in this modul.

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Figure .( ) *+ &slamic Tiles star pattern Tessellation

Figure .( )!*+ Escher-Type Tessellation

1.4.1

Types of Tessellation

There are several way of classifying tessellations. This includes clasification by the number of shapes used in the tessellations or categori'ed by regular polygons, semiregular polygons or irregular polygons. This modul will categori'e tessellation according to the number of different shapes used. 1.4.1.1 Tessellations sing One S!ape

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,e will begin by loo-ing at the simplest type of tessellations, i.e. formed by using only one shape. &t can be categori'ed according to using regular polygons and irregular polygons. Tessellations using regular polygons There are only three regular polygons which alone completely cover the plane, i.e. the e.uilateral triangle, the s.uare and the regular hexagon.

Figure .( )#*+ E.uilateral triangle-based tessellation

Figure .( )(*+ %.uare-based tessellation

Figure .( )/*+ 0egular hexagon-based tessellation

Apart from these three regular polygons which alone can form tessellations, is thare any other regular polygon which can tesselate1 ,hy1

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&f we observe the tessellations carefully, we will find that every vertex in the basic shape used meets the vertices of the neighbouring shape. ,hat is vertex1 The vertex is the corner or sharp point of the shape. Figure tessellation+ Figure .( )2* .( )2* show a vertex in s.uare-based

3ertex &n any tessellation there are at least three polygons whose vertices meet at the same point. "o you -now why1 A polygon is a plane figure with three or more straight line segments as its sides. %ince it is !-dimension figure, the total angle in each vertex must be #24 . For example, one interior angle for a e.uilateral triangle is 24. There are six e.uilateral triangles which meet in each vertex. Thus

6 60 =360 , and e.uilateral triangles alone can form

tessellations. For the s.uare, one interior angles is 54 and four vertices would meet.

4 90 = 360 . Therefore, s.uares itself can form tessellations.

6olygons with five sided are called pentagons. For a regular pentagon, one interior angle is 47. &f we have / pentagons place next to each other,

3 108 = 324 ,

which is less than #24 tessellation.

. &n this case, regular pentagons alone cannot produce a

Figure .( )8*+ There is a gap with three regular pentagons.

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6olygon with six sides is a hexagon, and the interior angle for regular hexagon is !4 . ,hen three regular hexagons meet in a vertex,

3 120 = 360 .

Thus regular hexagons alone can form tessellations.

,e extend the same idea for regular heptagon, i.e. a polygon with seven sides. Each interior angle is !7./8, when three regular heptagons meet in a vertex,

3 128.57 = 385.71 . &nterception will happen9 as shown in the figure below+

Figure .( )7*

For polygons with bigger number of sides, having three regular polygons such that the vertices meet without overlapping is impossible. As we have seen ealier, only three regular polygons can on their own form tessellations. Tessellations using irregular polygons Tessellations also can be formed from irregular polygons. :ere are some examples+

Figure .( )5*+ 0ectangular based tessellation

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Figure .( ) 4*+ Trape'ium based

1.4.1.2

Tessellation using two or more s!apes

Homogeneous tessellations are tessellations which use two or more regular polygons to tessellate such that the pattern formed at each vertex are the same. Homogeneous tessellations also -nown as semi-regular tessellations. %everal examples of regular tessellations are given below+ semi-

#.2.#.2

(.7.7

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#.#.#.(.(

#.#.#.#.2

%emi-regular tessellations are named according to the number of regular polygons which meet at each vertex. For the first example above, there are two hexagons and two e.uilateral triangle which meet in each vertex. :exagon has six sides and triangle has three sides. Therefore, the tessellation is indicated as #.2.#.2., i.e. a triangle followed by a hexagon, another triangle, another hexagon, in cloc-wise order. ,hy it is not read as 2.#.2.#1 &n some boo-s this is written as 2.#.2.#., which is not wrong, but we try to -eep the smaller number first. &f we had #.#.2.2. instead, this would mean something different+ two triangles followed by two hexagons. The symbol for semi-regular tessellation is important, as it can show if the tessellation is homogenuous. There are semi-regular tessellations which is not homogenous, as show in the example below below. $an you distinguish the difference between homogenuos tessellations and non-homogenous tessellatons1

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Figure .( )

6repare a pair of scissors, glue and colour papers, spend thirty minutes to create homogenuos tessellations by combining several shapes of e.uilateral triangle, s.uare, regular pentagon, regular hexagon, regular heptagon or regular octagon. En=oy?

1."

Tessellation an# $rt

&f we relate tessellations with art, we have to tal- about the art wor-s that has been developed by a "utch artist, called, ;.$ Escher ) 757- 58!*. There are numerous examples of Escher<s wor-, which is highly mathematical, included in boo-s, on T-shirts, =igsaw pu''les and coffee mugs. Escher derived much of his inspiration during his first visit to Alhambra in %pain in 5!!, where he studied ;oorish masaics. :owever, unli-e the ;oors, who were forbidden to use >graven images< and only made tiling patterns with geometric shapes, Escher attempted to create tessellations with shapes which represented ob=ects, animals and birds.

0eading material + EscherGeometry meets art by @. Ansell, The Magic Mirror of M. C. Escher by @. Ernst dan M. C Escher at work by G.A. Escher.

%everal art wor-s by ;.$. Escher+

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1.".1

Creating your own %sc!er&type Tessellations

&n this section we will show you two of the simplest ways of creating Escher-type tessellations. From your previous reading, you should be aware that in producing tessellations with animate ob=ect is not easy and that Escher had spent incredible amount of time in researching, practising and implementing his designs. 1.".1.1 Tessellations 'ase# on altering opposite parallel si#es This method involves altering one side and then altering the opposite parallel side in a similar wayAsee the following figure+

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Figure ./ ) *+ A simple tessellation based on a s.uare.

1.".1.2

Tessellations 'ase# on (otation

,e have seen earlier that there are only three regular plane tessellations B those using e.uilateral triangle, s.uare and regular hexagon. techni.ue cannot apply for triangle. ,hile the s.uare and the regular hexagon have opposite parallel sides, the e.uilateral triangle does not, thus this

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:owever, we can alter a side, and alter one of the ad=acent sides in the same way through a rotation. This method of altering ad=acent sides can be used to produce tessellations based on the regular hexagon as well.

Figure ./ )!*

The figure above show the design with e.uilateral triangle based, where we altered a side, then alter one of the ad=acent side by rotation. Cbserve the figure above carefully, you will find out the third side altered half of the side only and then rotating that alteration around the mid-point of the side. $an you see how the tessellation form1 "iscuss in your group?

$reate an Escher-type tessellation by using one of the methods discussed above.

1.)

Fractal *eometry :ave you ever used a computer program to enlarge a portion of a photograph1 @enoit ;andelbrot ) 5!(&f the

photograph is enlarged too much, the image may become blurred. A mathematician, * discovered some remar-able methods that enable us to create geometric figures with a special property+ if any portion of the figure is enlarged

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repeatedly, then additional details of the figure are displayed. ;andelbrot called these endlessly repeated geometric figures fractals.

Figure .2 ) *+ Set +an#el'rot @enoit ;andelbrot is -nown as the father of Fractal Geometry. :e was not the first person to create a fractal, but he was the first person to discover how some of the ideas of earlier mathematicians such as George $antor, Giuseppe 6eano, :elge 3on Doch, ,aclaw %ierpins-i dan Gaston Eulia could be united to form a new type of geometry. ;andelbrot also recogni'ed that many fractals share characteristics with shapes and curves found in nature. For instance, the leaves of a fern, when we compared with the whole fern, are almost identical in shape, only smaller in the si'e.

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Figure .2 )!*+ Fern leaves

At the present time, there is no universal agreement on the precise defination of a fractal, but we can define fractal as follows. A fractal is a geometric figure in which a self-similar motif repeats itself on an ever-diminishing scale.

Figure .2 )#*+ Self&similarity is s!own in Sierpinski *asket Fractal generally constructed by using iterati,e processes in which the fractal is more closely approximated as repeated cycle of procedures is performed. For example, a fractal -nown as Koch Cur e is contructed as follows+

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Stage -+ %tart with a line segment. %tage 4 in a fractal is called the initiator of the fractal. Stage 1+ Cn the middle third of the line segment, draw an e.ulateral triangle and remove its base. %tage in the fractal is called the generator of the fractal.

Stage 2+ 0eplace each initiator shape with a scaled version of the generator to produce the next stage of the Doch curve. The width of the scaled version of the generator is the same as the width of the line segment it replaces. $ontinue to repeat this step for the additional stages of the Doch curve.

%.ample 1.)/101 2oc! Cur,e

Stage -+

Stage 1+

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Stage 21

%.ample 1.)/201 Sierpinski gasket

Stage -1

Stage 11

Stage 21

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%.ample 1.)/301 Box Fractal

Stage -1

Stage 11

Stage 21

%.ample 1.)/401 Peano curve

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Stage -1

Stage 11

Stage 21

"raw %tage # and %tage ( for all the example .2) -(* above.

1.).1

Strictly self&similar fractals

All fractals show a self-similar motif on an ever-diminishing scale9 however, some fractals are strictly self-similar fractals, according to the following defination. 3efinition1 A fractal is said to be strictly self&similar if any arbitrary portion of the fractal contains a replica of the entire fractal.

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Example 1.)/"0: "etermine whether the following fractals are strictly self-similar. a. >Koch snowflake<. Solution: a. Koch snowflake is a close figure. Any portion of the Koch snowflake )as shown in the circled in figure .2 )(** is not a closed figure. Thus the Koch snowflake is not a strictly self-similar fractal. b. >Koch cur e<

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Figure .2 )(*+ The portion of the Doch snowfla-e shown in the circle is not a replica of the entire snowfla-e.

b.

&t is .uite obvious that any portion of Koch cur e replicates the entire fractal, the Koch cur e is a strictly self-similar fractal. The figure is shown in the following figure.

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Figure .2 )/*+ Any portion of the Doch curve is a replica of the entire Doch curve.

"etermine whether !ierpinski Gasket and "eano cur e are strictly selfsimilar fractal.

1.).2

(eplacement (atio an# Scaling (atio

There are two numbers that are closely related to many fractals are the (eplacement (atio and Scaling (atio. (eplacement (atio and Scaling (atio+

&f the generator of the fractal consists of # replicas of the initiator, then the (eplacement (atio of the fractal is #. &f the initiator of a fractal has linear dimensions that are r times the

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%.ample 1.)/)0 1 )i* Koch Cur e

%tage 4+

%tage +

)ii* !ierpinski Gasket

%tage 4+

%tage +

Find the replacement ratio and scaling ratio for )i* Doch cur e )ii* %ierpinski Gasket

!olution+ )i* The generator of Koch cur e consists of four line segments and the initiator consists of only one line segment. Thus the replacement ratio for Koch cur e is ( + , or (. The line segment in initiator is three times longer than the replica line segments in the generator. Thus the scaling ratio of the koch cur e is # + , or #.

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)ii*

The generator of the !ierpinski Gasket consists of three triangles and the initiator consists of only one triangle. Thus the replacement ratio of the % ierpinski Gasket is # + , or #. The triangle of the !ierpinski Gasket in the initiator has a width that is ! times the width of the replica triangles in the generator. Thus the scaling ratio of the !ierpinski Gasket is ! + , or !.

Find the replacement ratio and scaling ratio of the

1.).3

Similarity 3imension

A number called the similarity $imension, %, is used to .uantify how densely a strictly self-similar fractal fills a region. The similarity $imension )%& of a strictly self&similarity fractal is given by

%F %.ample 1.)/401

log N log r

Find the similarity dimension of the, )i* Koch cur e )ii* !ierpinski gasket !olution+ )i* Doch curve is a strictly self-similarity fractal, thus we can find its similarity dimension. From calculation on e.ample 1.)/)0, replacement ratio for Koch Cur e is ( and scaling ratio is #. Thus the Doch curve has a similarity dimension of

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% F log 3

log 4

1.262

)ii*

Also from e.ample 1.)/)05 0eplacement 0atio for !ierpinski gasket is # and scaling ratio of !. Therefore, the %ierpins-i gas-et has a similarity dimension of

% F log 2

log 3

1.585

$ompute the %imilarity "imension of the

a. "eano cur e 1.).3 Fractal *eometry in 3aily Life 1.).3.1 Fractal in 6atural Life b. 'o( )ractal

(i,ers

Clou#

Lig!tning

Leaf ,eins

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1.).3.2

Fractal in 7uil#ings

7a&8li in $frika

+enara %iffel in Paris

For further information about this chapter, you are encouraged to do your extra reading and surfing in the internet. Gou will feel excited how mathematics can be so beautiful? :appy reading?

(emin#er1 Please make sure all t!e printe# materials5 inclu#e# your notes an# your solutions is kept properly in your portfolio.

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