Tessellations

A triomino is a flat L shape made from 3 square tiles. A chess board is marked into squares the same size as the tiles and just one square, anywhere on the board, is coloured red. Can you cover the board with trionimoes so that only the square is exposed?

Which hexagons tessellate?

Have you ever tried tessellating capital letters? Have a look at these examples and then try some for yourself.

Can you make these equilateral triangles fit together to cover the paper without any gaps between them? Can you tessellate isosceles triangles?

An activity making various patterns with 2 x 1 rectangular tiles.

What is the same and what is different about these tiling patterns and how do they contribute to the floor as a whole?

Use the interactivity to make this Islamic star and cross design. Can you produce a tessellation of regular octagons with two different types of triangle?

Can you find out how the 6-triangle shape is transformed in these tessellations? Will the tessellations go on for ever? Why or why not?