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FATMA ASLAN-TUTAK
Serving Up
Sierpinski!
THE SIERPINSKI TRIANGLE IS NAMED AFTER
Waclaw Sierpinski (18821969), a Polish mathematician who studied number theory, set theory,
1916, has some very interesting characteristics. It is an impressive and valuable topic for
mathematical exploration, since it combines
Euclidean geometry (triangles and measurement)
with fractal geometry. The Sierpinski triangle, also
known as the Sierpinski gasket, is a fractal formed
from an equilateral triangle. It is one of the most popular fractals to construct and analyze in middle school
mathematics lessons. Since the 1960s, it has been
possible to design fractals using a computer program,
especially the complex examples that are often difficult to construct by hand. However, students can easily duplicate the Sierpinski triangle.
This department explores rich mathematical ideas by revisiting their origins and early investigations found in the history of mathematics. Send submissions to this department
by accessing mtms.msubmit.net.
248
draw an equilateral triangle. Determine the midpoints of each side of the triangle. Use those midpoints as vertices of a new smaller triangle that divides the original equilateral triangle into four
smaller congruent equilateral triangles. Remove the
middle triangle and repeat the same procedure for
each of the remaining outer three triangles. Continue to repeat this entire process. The result will be
a Sierpinski triangle composed of three smaller Sierpinski triangles (see fig. 1). Student Activity Sheet
1 explains the procedure; solutions can be found
What Is a Fractal?
FRACTALS WERE FIRST EXPLORED IN THE LATE
L
Step 0
Step 1
G
L
Step 3
Step 2
Step 4
Fig. 1 Steps for constructing the Sierpinski triangle
Conclusion
SOME OF THE MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUES-
249
am I learning this? and How can I use this knowledge? The Sierpinski triangle gives students a different perspective about triangles. The history of
the Sierpinski triangle and fractals can serve as a
context for studying triangles and related concepts.
Furthermore, explaining the concept of infinity in a
fractal is easier, because the pattern repeats infinitely many times. Constructing the Sierpinski triangle requires knowledge of both geometry and
measurement and is a valuable and simple way to
introduce fractals and their characteristics. Researching the life of Sierpinski can show the effects
of culture on developments in mathematics.
Teacher Notes
THE MATHEMATICAL QUESTIONS AT THE END
NUMBER OF
TRIANGLES
LEFT
1
3
9
27
...
3n
250
STEP #
0
1
2
3
...
n
AREA OF THE
SIERPINSKI
TRIANGLE
1
3/4
9/16
27/64
...
(3n)/(4n)
Bibliography
Germantown Academy Academics, Fort Washington,
Pennsylvania. What Is a Fractal? www.germantown
academy.org/academics/US/Math/Geometry/stwk00
/griffith/WIF.htm.
Lanius, Cynthia. Math Questions on Sierpinskis Triangle. math.rice.edu/~lanius/fractals/Sier_Ques/.
Richards, Geoff. Sierpinski Fractals. ungwe.org/art/
sierpinski/.
Riddle, Larry. Sierpinski Gasket. ecademy.agnesscott
.edu/~lriddle/ifs/siertri/siertri.htm.
Shodor. Sierpinskis Triangle. www.shodor.org/inter
activate/activities/gasket/.
University of Buffalo Libraries. Mathematics and Computation IV. ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/exhibits/
stamps/math2b.html.
University of St. Andrews, Scotland. Waclaw Sierpinski.
www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians
/Sierpinski.html.
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NAME _______________________________________
STEP #
NUMBER OF
TRIANGLES REMAINING
0
1
2
3
...
n
NAME _______________________________________
STEP #
AREA OF THE
SIERPINSKI TRIANGLE
0
1
2
3
...
n