© Nuffield Foundation 2011

Nuffield Free-Standing Mathematics Activity

Victorian tiles

Photo Decoramic Tile Centre http://www.decoramic.co.uk/

Victorian tiles

Geometric shapes and colours can be used to make attractive patterns.

What shapes can you see here?

At the end of the activity

Victorian tiles

Which types of symmetry occur most often in tessellations?

What effect does the symmetry have on the appearance of the pattern?

Some shapes or combinations of shapes tessellate, and others do not. Why is this?