Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how many civilizations have long used artistic designs for a variety of purposes, for instance, some civilizations have used artistic designs for emblematic purposes, while some have used artistic designs for ornamental and/or architectural purposes; still others, perhaps unsurprisingly, have used artistic designs for spiritual symbolism. The paper also notes that artistic designs almost invariably utilize mathematical concepts, specifically, within the Islamic art tradition. This paper focuses upon how students can learn about a host of geometric concepts - symmetries, transformations, reflection/rotation- by understanding the symmetry found in Islamic art. The paper provides a serviceable definition of geometry; the next stage is to look at symmetry in Islamic art. From there, the paper looks at the mathematics of symmetry - particularly as mathematics appears to manifest itself in Islamic artwork. Lastly, the paper looks at how symmetry (as manifested in Islamic art) can be utilized to teach geometry in the contemporary classroom. The paper shows how the patterns that we see all around us when looking at Islamic art - be it in a gallery or in a classroom - provide a host of "teachable" moments that can energize the learning process.

From the Paper:

"Many civilizations have long used artistic designs for a variety of purposes. For instance, some civilizations have used artistic designs for emblematic purposes, while some have used artistic designs for ornamental and/or architectural purposes; still others, perhaps unsurprisingly, have used artistic designs for spiritual symbolism. Another thing that is not at all a surprise is that artistic designs almost invariably utilize mathematical concepts. Specifically, within the Islamic art tradition, there has long been the extensive use of geometric and symmetrical..."

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