Let's Twist Again

We had a look at some amazing patterns like these (wikipedia) yesterday.

They were made using a machine called a ‘Spirograph’.  A Spirograph works like this; you insert your sharp pencil point into a tiny hole in a round plastic cog, and carefully, oh-so-carefully, you move it round and round and round inside a plastic ring which also has cogs.  As you spiral round, so a pattern emerges.....

The trouble is that we only had one Spirograph machine - and lots of eager-for-a-challenge children.  What to do?

First take a piece of cardboard as your base.

Next, choose a cardboard shape to trace round and stab it with a sharp pin.....

.....onto a piece of paper and into your cardboard base (and watch out; some of those pins might poke through the other side!)

With one hand, hold the shape still.....

 

.....and with the other trace all the way round the shape with your pencil.

Then, moving the shape round just a little bit each time, trace the shape again and again.

As you progress, you will start to see a pattern emerging.

Finally, you will have made your way all the way round and back to where you started - phew!

Now, stand back and admire your very own Spirograph designs.

Look closely at these two; you should be able to see one shape repeated lots of times
What shapes do you see?