$simple tessellation shapes$

Tessellation Rule #1: The shapes must be regular polygons.Ī polygon is any shape that is formed by straight lines. The polygons can't overlap or have gaps in the pattern. Whew! That seems complicated! But just like our shape pattern from above, we can break this pattern down into three simple rules to follow. This is an example of a tessellation.Ī tessellation is a type of pattern that covers an entire flat surface with repeating polygons without any gaps or overlapping. The tiles cover an entire flat area and are made up of one or more shapes. I bet you can find a floor or a wall with tiles on it similar to this one.

We see patterns all around us in our lives. If we follow these rules, we can guess what the next shape in the pattern will look like! The next shape will be a small green circle! These three rules make the pattern we see above. The last rule of the pattern is that the sizes of the shapes are small, small, big.This rule also repeats over and over again to make a pattern. The second rule in this pattern is that the type of shape changes from a circle, to a star, and back to a circle.The rule repeats over and over again to make the pattern. The first rule in this pattern is that the color of the shapes are green, then blue, then orange.You can find patterns with colors, shapes, numbers, and more! For example, this row of shapes has a pattern: Let's get started by looking closely at these tile floors.īut before we try to understand tessellations, we need to remember how patterns work!Ī pattern is something repeated with a set of rules.

Simple tessellation shapes