Chapter 10: Symmetrical Designs

Look at a butterfly, a flower, a kite, a Taj Mahal photo. Cut any of them down the middle and the two halves match. This balance is called symmetry. Symmetry makes things look beautiful, balanced, and pleasing.

In this chapter we meet line symmetry , when a shape can be folded so its two halves match perfectly. We discover how many lines of symmetry different shapes have, and we use this knowledge to design rangolis and patterns of our own.

What's inside

• The idea of symmetry and the line of symmetry.
• Counting lines of symmetry in regular shapes.
• Drawing the mirror half of a half-given shape.
• Symmetry in nature, monuments and designs.

How to read this chapter

Read in order. Keep some paper and a pencil ready. The hands-on tasks need paper-folding and ink-blot tricks , they are the best ways to feel symmetry.