Symmetry

Date: 04/29/2001 at 10:15:00
From: Gina Pitaluga
Subject: Symmetry

Help! What's symmetry?

Date: 05/01/2001 at 09:37:27
From: Doctor Sarah
Subject: Re: Symmetry

Hi Gina -

Great question!  

There are four types of symmetry in the plane, and a pattern is 
symmetric if there is at least one symmetry (rotation, translation, 
reflection, glide reflection) that leaves the pattern unchanged. For 
illustrations, you can look at this Web page:

  Symmetry - Suzanne Alejandre and Susan Addington
  http://mathforum.org/sum95/suzanne/symsusan.html   

There are many sites on the Web that will show you good examples of 
symmetry and tell you about them, and pictures really help. Here is
one good place to start looking and reading:

  Investigating Patterns: Symmetry and Tessellations - Jill Britton

  Lots of links to pages with good pictures!

  http://britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/jbsymteslk.htm   

For lots of sites about symmetry, see the Math Forum's Internet 
Mathematics Library:

  http://mathforum.org/library/topics/sym_tess/   

I hope this helps.  

- Doctor Sarah, The Math Forum
  http://mathforum.org/dr.math/