Sierpinski and Pascal

This is really neat, and I think students will enjoy it too.

You will need hexagonal grid sheets.  Look at Pascals triangle, you need as many rows as possible, at least twenty.  Next, color in all of the hexagons containing numbers divisible by two.  What you discover will  look familiar--Sierpinski's Triangle!

There are numerous other visual patterns in Pascal's Triangle.  This particular one would be a great introduction.  Next the students will want to find their own interesting patterns.  Imagtine. They will be exploring and discovering  mathematics that they are not used to seeing.  Many of our students never see a fun side of mathematics, only formulas and procedures.  These creative triangles may motivate them and change any negative connotations they may associate with math.  Also, this would make for a fantastic display in a classoroom of hallway.

RETURN