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Geometrical Pattern Making
Looking at patterns and their construction
Robert Field has travelled extensively and has taken his camera and a keen eye with him wherever he has gone. Many people will be both suprised and delighted by the sheer number and variety of interesting patterns that he has discovered. These books will appeal both to those who have a particular interest in the topic covered but also to those who are looking for a rich resource of pattern designs.
The book concentrates not on the figurative panels but on the geometric borders and patterns with which virtually all floors and corridors were decorated. Robert Field has collected examples from many different sites and the book is arranged as a series of step-by-step drawing exercises. Experiencing the way the design elements are linked together is undoubtedly the best way to appreciate how inventive and skillful those ancient artists were. £3.70 (No VAT on this product)
From the designs in his book on Curve Stitching, some twenty beautiful examples have been selected to create a colourful poster. If practical work on this topic or project is to be introduced into any mathematics classroom, then this poster will serve as a useful background resource and a source of inspiration. £3.53 (inc. VAT)
If a regular polygon together with all its diagonals is drawn within a circle, then the resulting diagram is called a 'mystic rose'. This poster shows all the mystic roses for polygons of up to 17 sides and is an attractive example of a family of mathematical patterns. £3.53 (inc. VAT)
In its simplest form, a curve of pursuit arises in the classic example of a dog chasing a rabbit where the dog constantly changes its direction to run towards the present position of the rabbit. By abstracting the resulting curve a most delightful family of mathematical curves is generated. This poster shows, very colourfully, the beauty of such designs. £3.53 (inc. VAT)
Curve stitching is a creative, practical activity with a strong mathematical background. This book explains the technique and there are large colour photographs of a good selection of beautiful designs, with 'stitch-by-stitch' sewing plans. The different families of designs are put into their mathematical context and there are many suggestions for further development. There is also a good collection of computer programs written in Basic. These programs can readily be modified and adapted so that one can find on screen those patterns which will be most pleasing to sew. £7.50 (No VAT on this product)
This newly available software runs very quickly and easily on either Windows or Mac machines and allows the creation of a multitude of patterns with mirror and rotational symmetry or rotational symmetry only. Different kinds of circle symmetry, ink colours, line widths and pen types are instantly available at the click of a mouse. As its name suggests it is rather like an electronic form of a traditional kaleidoscope but of course with the added advantage that especially beautiful designs can be easily printed, emailed or saved to use in other applications. £13.51 (inc. VAT)
These two books of very special patterns are fascinating to colour and provide almost unlimited scope for the imagination. They are so rich in possibilities that the simple question 'What can you see in the pattern?' can produce as many different answers as there are people or occasions. Firmly based on principles that were first discovered by Arabic mathematicians in the tenth century, they have now been thoroughly investigated by John Martineau and accurately drawn by computer. The most beautiful ones have been selected for these two books, the first based on the square and the second on the hexagon.