The Fractal Foundation constructed the world’s largest fractal triangle on March 14, 2010 (PI-Day) in the Albuquerque Convention Center. Over 40 volunteers helped build the giant triangle and celebrate math, art, and the amazing wonder of fractals. The giant triangle was assembled out of 2187 individual triangles made by children from all over the world.
While 2187 is the number required to assemble a 7th order fractal triangle, 96 feet on a side, so many students had participated that there were enough to keep building, and altogether the pattern was extended to include 4036 triangles.
See a timelapse video of the assembly, which took place over almost 2 hours:
We are continuing the project, and in 2011 we intend to break our own record by assembling an 8th order fractal triangle, 196 feet on a side, comprised of 6561 individual triangles.
We need more triangles, so Please Participate!
Ruby, a student volunteer, handed out packs of 27 triangles to the assemblers.
A sample triangle, showing how much detail the students put into many of the fractals.
Children assembled fractal tetrahedrons, taking the project to the next dimension
Children from the Camberwell Grammar School in Victoria, Australia. While most of the 4036 triangles in the Trianglethon were made by students in New Mexico, many triangles came from much further.
Gigantic thanks to all who participated last year: the dozens of volunteers who helped build the giant triangle, and especially to the thousands of children who each contributed a triangle!
And much gratitude to the Albuquerque Convention Center, for generously providing their ballrooms for the event. We look forward to returning next time in the even larger exhibit hall!
Congratulations and thanks, to everyone who made this possible. See the full list of participating schools here.