Giant Spirolaterals
![](https://www.lickeyhills.worcs.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/IMG_2796-1200x896.jpg)
We’ve been exploring spirolaterals – patterns formed by repeating simple mathematical rules. We explored different numbers of steps while turning through right-angles. A spirolateral of order 5, for example, follows these rules:
- Forward 1cm then turn
- Forward 2cm then turn
- Forward 3cm then turn
- Forward 4cm then turn
- Forward 5cm then turn
- Repeat
Each turn was 90° clockwise. However, we then decided that it would be more fun to go outside and do some giant maths by drawing large spirolateral patterns across the playground.
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![](https://www.lickeyhills.worcs.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/image_carousel_thumbs/IMG_2766-na8u50ikubffffflz0llwhznmr32l223r2dkw3no04.jpg)
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![](https://www.lickeyhills.worcs.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/image_carousel_thumbs/IMG_2791-na8u5k96tu6g78mxrr4ruv0c3uds2p8gts2rywuedg.jpg)
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We took a very dizzy walk along a spirolateral of order 4 which spirals off in to infinity: