Supplement for Family Go Guide
Moebius (or Möbius) Strip
This activity combines an interesting geometric exercise with drawings of animals and their tracks.
A Moebius strip is a one-edged geometric surface with only one continuous side, formed by giving a 180 degree twist to a narrow, rectangular strip of paper and then connecting the two ends together. It is named after a 19th century German mathematician.
Materials:
- small strips of paper for trial Moebius strips
- strips of paper (a good size is 36" x 3" cut from big rolls of butcher paper, but strips of construction paper can be used as well)
- transparent tape
- construction paper
- drawing materials (paints, colored pencils, etc.)
- glue
- scissors
- reference books
First practice making Moebius strips with small strips of paper. Form a loop with the strip of paper, placing the ends together. Now, make a twist in one end and tape the ends together. With a pencil, trace a line down the center of the strip. You will discover that your pencil mark meets up with the beginning of the line. You made a continuous plane when that half twist was made. Now that you see how a Moebius strip works, you can use it for a desert creature art project.
- Chooses an animal you would like to draw. Use reference books for pictures of the animal as well as the tracks of that animal.
- Draw a picture of the animal, approximately 3" by 4". Cut out the picture and make 7 tracings, for a total of 8 animals. Color them all then cut them out.
- Get a strip of paper. 36" long and 3" wide is a good size. Perhaps you can ask for a sheet of butcher paper at school. Most schools have a rack of butcher paper rolls of various colors.
- Glue the animals at intervals, so that there is even spacing between them as you place them around the full length of your strip.
- Between the animals, draw the tracks of that animal.
- Hang the moebius strips from your ceiling.