How Does GCSE Higher Maths Geometry 7 - Tessellation Work?

Tessellation is when shapes fit together perfectly to cover a flat surface without any gaps or overlaps.

Imagine you're playing with tiles on the floor, some are square, some are hexagonal, like the ones in a beehive. Tessellation is like arranging those tiles so they all match up neatly. It’s just like when you colour inside the lines of a drawing and every shape touches its neighbor.

Not all shapes can tessellate, it depends on how their sides fit together. A square works because each corner is 90 degrees, and four squares can meet perfectly at one point. Like when you put your puzzle pieces together, if the corners match up, they’ll stick.

But a circle won’t work, no matter how you place them, there will always be spaces between them. It’s like trying to stack oranges on the floor, they roll around and never quite fit together neatly.

Tessellation isn’t just for tiles or puzzles. It's used in real life too! Architects use tessellating patterns in buildings, and even your favorite video games might use tessellation to make their graphics look smooth and realistic.

So next time you see a pattern on the floor or a wall, remember, it’s all about shapes fitting together like puzzle pieces.