Mathematics is
much more than finding sums, differences, products, and quotients.
Mathematics is a way of looking at the world. As a mathematician,
you view the world looking for regularity and order or the lack of
order and regularity.
We are surrounded
by all types of symmetry, a type
of regularity and order--in nature, in architecture, in art and much
more. Look carefully at the world around you. Did you know that there
are THREE types of symmetry? The picture of the sea flower to the
left possesses all three types of symmetry.
![[sea flower]](/images/seaflwr.jpg)
- LINE
SYMMETRY: The most common type of symmetry is line
symmetry. A figure that can be folded in such a way that
one-half of it lies exactly on the other half is said to have line
symmetry.
- ROTATIONAL
SYMMETRY: A figure is said to have rotational
symmetry if there exists a point around which the figure
can be rotated less than one complete turn of 360 degrees in order
to result in an identical figure.
- POINT
SYMMETRY: A figure is said to have point
symmetry if it can be rotated one-half of a turn or 180
degrees about a point onto itself.
After learning
about these three types of symmetry you will begin to notice all of
the symmetry in your world.
Enjoy its beauty and the interest that it adds to your environment.
These symmetry pages have been brought to you by Nancy
Powell, a former TeachNet Web Mentor from Bloomington High School, Bloomington,
IL. |
