TESSELLATI

ON
By:
Fréderic
Ronald
Nana
Deb
Question 1
 What is Tessellation?
• the pattern resulting from the arrangement
of regular polygons to cover a plane without
any interstices (gaps) or overlapping.
• The patterns are usually repeating
 Types of Tessellation?
• Regular Tessellations
– Made up entirely of congruent regular polygons all
meeting vertex to vertex.
– There are only three regular tessellations which
use a network of equilateral triangles, squares and
hexagons.
• Semi-regular Tessellations
– Made up with two or more types of regular
polygon which are fitted together in such a way
that the same polygons in the same cyclic order
surround every vertex.
– There are eight semi-regular tessellations which
comprise different combinations of equilateral
triangles, squares, hexagons, octagons and
dodecagons.
• Non-regular Tessellations
– those in which there is no restriction on the order
of the polygons around vertices.
– There is an infinite number of such tessellations.
– most patterns made up with one or more
polyiamonds (A plane figure formed by joining a
finite number of equilateral triangles along their
sides) are not strictly tessellations because the
component polyiamonds are not regular polygons.
– The patterns might more accurately be called
mosaics or tiling patterns.
• Tessellations can be created by performing one or more of
three basic operations, translation, rotation and reflection,
on a polyiamond (see Figure).
Question 2
Definition of tessellations
• The action or art of tessellating; tessellated
condition; a piece of tessellated work.
• An arrangement or close fitting together of minute
parts or distinct colours.

Definition of tessellated
• Composed of small blocks of variously coloured
material arranged to form a pattern; formed of or
ornamented with mosaic work.
• Combined or arranged so as to form a mosaic.
• Consisting of or arranged in small cubes or squares;
chequered, reticulated.
Tessellations in Mathematics
• Shapes which tessellate cover the plane without gaps and
without overlapping.
• Can only be 3 regular Tessellations on the Euclidean plane (2D
plane)  made from copies of a single regular polygon
meeting at each vertex.
• These are of equilateral triangles, squares or regular hexagon.

• The Three Regular Tessellations on the Euclidean

Plane
• There are only three because the inside angles of the polygon
must be a factor of 360° so that the polygons can line up at
the points leaving no gaps.
 Tessellations in Art
• Original word ‘tessellation’  comes from its use in art
• From Ancient Greek a Tessera or Tessella  the small dice sized piece of stone
used in mosaics.
– Therefore, as the dictionary suggests, the original tessellations were mosaics.
• First used in the form of mosaics  about 3000 BC in Ancient Mesopotamia.
• The tessellation in mosaics pertains to the actual structure of the arrangement of
the small pieces of stone or tile, which is the regular tessellation of squares.
• M. C. Escher (1898-1972)  One of the greatest practitioners of the use of
tessellations in art
 The Dutch graphic artist
 Worked extensively on tessellations although he is
more famous for his drawings of the impossible.
 Many of his works using tessellations consist not of a
single repeated image, but of a smooth metamorphosing of one
image into another.
• Sky and Water by M. C. • Sun and Moon by M. C.
Escher Escher

• A tessellation of frogs on a sphere in the style of Escher

Thank You