Maple Math and Symmetry
Using Maple Leaves to Discover Line Symmetry in Nature
Look at this beautiful collage of a Maple Leaf with buttons on softly colored paper.
The leaf was cut in half at the line of symmetry.
The buttons are also arranged with three on each side of the Maple Leaf also creating a symmetrical pattern.
The colors of the paper are opposite from one side to the other thus making them asymmetrical.
In this lens Maple Math lens we will be learning about Symmetry while using Maple Leaves to display our findings in an artistic way.
Come look for the symmetry in the Maple Leaves...
Photo Credit: The Remembrancer: Button Up by Cat Sidh
on Flickr, Creative Commons.
Symmetry in Nature
Collect some Maple Leaves and look for the line of symmetry.
Are your Maple Leaves Symetric? - Defining Symetry and Applying it to Maple Leaves
Photo Credit: Asymmetric
Used under creative commons
Symmetry generally conveys two primary meanings.
The first is an imprecise sense of harmonious or aesthetically pleasing proportionality and balance on either side of an axis; For example, Aristotle ascribed spherical shape to the heavenly bodies, attributing this formally defined geometric measure of symmetry to the natural order and perfection of the cosmos. such that it reflects beauty or perfection.
The second meaning is a precise and well-defined concept of balance or "patterned self-similarity" that can be demonstrated or proved according to the rules of a formal system: by geometry, through physics or otherwise.
See the rest of the article about Symmetry
on Wikipedia.
Maple Leaf Math - Autumn Math Lessons in Symmetry
Photo Credit: The Remembrancer: Button Up by Cat Sidh
on Flickr, Creative Commons.
Use Symmetry to Create a Maple Leaf College - How can you use your knowledge of math to describe your Maple Leaf College?
Go on a field trip to collect Maple Leaves. When you come back inside, use those leaves to create a collage. Think about what you have learned about symmetry and numbers to describe your artwork.
In 
Hunting the Hidden Dimension - NOVA program about Fractals
Not Symmetrical but not quite Asymmetrical, what are fractals?
What do clouds, stalks of broccoli, and the rhythm of your heart have in common? Fractals – the irregular, repeating shapes that are found almost everywhere in nature, but whose governing principles were considered beyond the limits of our mathematical understanding well into the 20th century.
Maple Math
Writing about Math
Come write about maple trees and natural symmetry on Wizzley, a fun and easy place to express your opinion:
