Pentominoes in Math and Art Fall 2012 Cheryl McAllister

Polyominoes – general information Word coined by Solomon W. Golomb in 1954 Definition – a polyomino is the joining of congruent squares at a side, vertex to vertex. The domino, the joining of two squares, is the most common of the polyominoes.

Types of Polyominoes Monomino – 1 square – 1 form Domino – 2 squares – 1 form Triomino – 3 squares - 2 forms Tetromino – 4 squares – 5 forms Pentomino – 5 squares – 12 forms Hexomino – 6 squares – 35 forms

Mathematical Concepts that can be explored using polyominoes Area Perimeter Symmetry Tessellations Folding nets Problem solving

Pentomino Solution as Art http://pentomino.classy.be/meninge.html

How are Pentominoes used in art? Guenter Albrecht-Buehler

Polyominoes can be a puzzle or a game Have you played Tetras? Determine what the 12 different pentomino shapes are. Use all 12 shapes to make a rectangle – 3719 solutions Blokus – a board game using Polyominoes 2001 A Space Odessey