How to Make a Kaleidoscope
YOU WILL NEED
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Paper towel tube cut eight inches (20 centimeters) long
Clear plastic sheet to fold into prism
Ruler
Pen or marker
Paring knife or art utility knife
Four-inch (ten-centimeter) squares (one each) of black construction paper, plastic wrap, and
waxed paper
Scissors
Rubber band
Clear tape
Colored transparent beads, small sequins, and shiny confetti
Stickers and wrapping paper
HERE’S HOW
1. Draw lines across the rectangle, one 1 ¼ inches from bottom, one another 1 ¼ inches
apart, and one to leave ¼ inch to fold.
2. Fold the plastic along the lines to form a triangular shape. The quarter-inch (.6-centimeter)
strip goes on the outside. Tape the strip along the edge so it stays closed.
3. Slide the plastic triangle into the paper towel roll.
4. Turn the paper towel tube on one end. Trace a circle around it on the construction paper.
Poke a hole through the center of the circle and tape it over one end of the tube.
5. Place a square of plastic wrap on the other end of the tube. Press down to create a pouch
in the end of the plastic triangle. Put some beads, sequins, and confetti in the pouch.
6. Place a square of waxed paper over the pouch. Stretch the rubber band over both the
waxed paper and the plastic wrap. Be sure it’s on tight so nothing spills out! 7. Trim the corners of the squares. Decorate the outside of the paper towel roll with stickers
or wrapping paper.
8. Hold the tube up to one eye and look through it. Turn it and watch your own light show!
WHY?
Light travels in a straight line through empty space, but when it bumps into an object, it changes
direction. Some shiny surfaces, like the plastic sheet or a mirror, send or reflect light back to you.
(Think of a ball bouncing off a wall.) The sides of the plastic tube inside the kaleidoscope reflect
the beads, sequins, and confetti. The reflections bounce back and forth from side to side creating
multiple images. When you turn the kaleidoscope, the pieces move, and you see a different
design.
CREDIT: text by Laura Daily for National Geographic, modified by Ruth Catchen
Mathematics Through the Kaleidoscope Eye
Where are Mathematical Concepts found in Art?
Symmetry is what occurs when one side of something balances out or mirrors the other. The mirrored
mages in the kaleidoscope show symmetrical relationships.
A Fractal is a mathematical pattern that typically shows self-similar patterns, where self-similar means
they are "the same from near as from far." Fractals may be exactly the same size or exactly the same and
of different sizes.
Golden Ratio (from Wikipedia) At least since the 20th century, many artists and architects have
proportioned their works to approximate the golden ratio—especially in the form of the golden rectangle,
in which the ratio of the longer side to the shorter is the golden ratio—believing this proportion to be
aesthetically pleasing (see Applications and observations below). A golden rectangle can be cut into a
square and a smaller rectangle with the same aspect ratio. Mathematicians since Euclid have studied the
golden ratio because of its unique and interesting properties. The golden ratio is also used in the analysis
of financial markets, in strategies such as Fibonacci retracement.
Fibonacci Numbers: By definition, the first two numbers in the Fibonacci sequence are 0 and 1, and
each subsequent number is the sum of the previous two. (Wikipedia). Often used to create the Golden
Spiral or Nautilus, an image often found in nature.
Tesselation is the process of creating a two-dimensional plane using the repetition of a geometric
shape with no overlaps and no gaps.
Check out the art of M.C. Escher, Van Gogh, Da Vinci and Picasso.