What it shows
A pattern is something that repeats in a set order. Making and continuing patterns builds the skill of predicting what comes next.
The science
A pattern has a unit that repeats. In an AB pattern red, blue, red, blue the unit is two beads. In an AAB pattern the unit has three beads. If we know the unit, we can tell the colour of any bead far down the string, such as the tenth.
Materials
Cost: free. Many items come from home or from waste; spare parts such as LEDs, motors and wire are in the store.
- Beads or small coloured pasta tubes or paper bits (free)
- Three pieces of thick thread or wool, 40 cm each
- A piece of tape for the end of each thread
- Paper and crayons to record
Safety
For this project: Small beads can be a choking risk. An adult must stay with young children.
Never use mains electricity: power models with cells, batteries or a low-voltage adapter. Sharp and hot tools, flames and lab chemicals need an adult or your teacher beside you. Keep magnets, button cells and small parts away from young children, and wash your hands after making.
Step by step
8 steps. Do them in order, and test each part before you go on to the next. Write what you notice in a notebook as you go.
Tape one end of the thread so beads do not slip off.
Make an AB pattern with two colours, like red, blue, red, blue.
Make an AAB pattern on a new string: red, red, blue, repeating.
Make an ABC pattern with three colours.
Draw each pattern with crayons on paper.
Ask a friend to continue the pattern for five more beads.
Ask them to guess the colour of the tenth bead without counting all.
Write the unit that repeats for each pattern.
What you should see
Three strings show AB, AAB and ABC patterns, and your friend can continue each correctly.
Viva questions
A teacher or a judge will ask how it works. Try to answer each question before you open it, then compare.
01What is a pattern?
Something that repeats in the same order.
02What is the repeating unit of red, blue, red, blue?
Red, blue.
03What comes next after red, red, blue, red, red?
Blue.
04Where do we see patterns in daily life?
In saris, tiles and rangoli.
Take it further
Make a growing pattern, where the number of beads increases each time.
Change one thing, measure what happens, and add a table or chart of your readings: that is what turns a model into your own investigation.
Free ebooks for this project
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