Geometry (2D & 3D shapes): Shells and Shapes
The Problem
Dr Jones, the famous scientist and adventurer, has just discovered a new species of tortoise on a remote island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. She as decided to name the tortoise testduo polygonus due to the interesting geometric scutes that cover its shell.
The shell has the following numbers of regular and irregular polygons:
- 3 regular hexagons
- 4 irregular hexagons
- 2 irregular quadrilaterals
Using this information, can you draw what you think the tortoise’s shell might have looked like using the triangular graph paper and the tortoise shell outline (opposite)?
Rules:
1) The scutes must fit together without gaps or overlapping.
2) Only the shapes listed above must appear on the shell.
3) All scute lines must be drawn over the graph paper’s blue triangular lines.
Did you know?
The scutes that form on the outer layer of a tortoise or turtle shell are made from keratin. Human hair and nails are also made from keratin!
Visualising the Problem and Getting Started
To get started, use the clue below.
Clue
The 3 regular hexagons can each be made from 6 triangles on the triangular graph paper. Each regular hexagon shares a side with the regular hexagon next to it.
