Bead Work Research

· A source of mathematical inspiration

· Linking to the visual culture

· Stimulating number discoveries

RUMEP is lucky to be part of the University of Grahamstown with a museum close by, a museum which has its own collection of bead work. Also at the gates of the University is a Craft Shop which specialises in bead work and on the grass outside several ladies sit doing beadwork.

So on our door step are two splendid opportunities for research:

· the museum collection from the past and

· the skill and knowledge of crafts people

today.

The stages in our research have been to encourage Primary School teachers to

· Identify and record patterns

· Analyse patterns

· Derive mathematical expressions to describe the patterns

Here are some of the results of the teacher’s research.

Rule for Border 8n – 4

Rule for total Number of Beads 4n²

Rule for border 8(n – 1) except for n =1

Total number of beads 4n² – 5n + 2

The rule for the border is 6n – 6 or 6(n – 1) except when n = 1

Total number of beads 3n² –3n + 1

Number of beads

In “waves” 4n + 1

“Vase”

Read beads 4n + 1

Blue beads n (n + 1)