Good morning! Today is Diwali: for those unfamiliar with the day, it is a celebration of the victory of light over darkness that originated as a Hindu religious festival and is now observed by people in many religious traditions. (More details can be found in, for example, the Times of India.) Many years ago I ran across an article discussing mathematics and Diwali and saved the link. Alas, when I looked for it now the original article appears to be gone, but in doing a new search I found a few more recent posts:
First grade teachers Michelle L and Michelle M talked about patterns and symmetry with their students, using designs on rangoli. Rangoli are intricate patterns made on the floor out of flowers, rice, sand, or other materials:
One thing I find interesting about this is that the symmetry is different in each case – it’s not always 8 or 12 for example.
And for those of you craving something a little more Calculus-oriented, take a look at this video:
Enjoy the week!
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