The Sierpinski Carpet Project is a collective and solidarity activity among children (preferably) from 3 to 16 years old around the world. We want to build a giant geometric fractal, known as Sierpinski Carpet,  with coloured squared stickers.

This fractal was described by Waclaw Sierpinski in 1916 (but it was previously discovered by one of his PhD student, Stefan Mazurkievicz, in 1913).  It is constructed by dividing a square in 9 others of side 1/3 of the primitive and eliminating the square which occupies the central position, repeating this process in each of the squares that remain, at infinitum. We can see it better with this animated gif (see source):

In each iteration, the number of squares is multiplied by 8 and instead the same side is 1/3 of the above. This produces a geometrical object with a gap of zero area but with infinite perimeter.

 

Objectives

• To introduce the concept of fractal through a classic example as it is the Sierpinski carpet.
• To familiarize the student with its construction, based on the self-similarity.
• To develop the manual and visual work.
• To encourage interchange of knowledgment and experiences between the participants of the project, in the social networks, as well as in e-Twinning.
• To highlight the cooperative work, and positive interdependence, as a way of getting a sizeable construction.

See didactical values of the project.

Who can participate in this activity?

All schools in the world, hospital schools, cultural associations, individual people etc.. preferably with children between 3 and 16 years (but there is no limit age, as it depends on the difficult level of the activities).

What does each center? All these items are obligatory to be part of the project.

1. Each participating center builds the 4th iteration of the Sierpinski carpet, with 64 children and 64 stickers each, 4096 squared stickers in total. This material and the templates are sent to the center, upon request to lola.jimenez66@hotmail (this cost is not included in the e-Twinning project).
2. Coordinate with other 7 schools (or classrooms of the same school) to mount the 5th iteration in a public local exhibition.
3. Work in the classroom some supplementary activities.
4. (Recommended)  Complete pages of resources or/and activities, with extra work on fractals.
5. Promote interaction of students by sending (coded) messages, greetings, maths contents, etc. (written behind the carpets), and then send pictures through Facebook, e-twinning, etc.
6. Send the carpet to the closest ambassador*, by ordinary mail when required, for public exhibition of bigger iterations, and at the end of the project to Almería (Spain). See list of events.
7. Fill the “Evaluation form” of the project (uploaded on March 4, 2015).
8. Add news in press, radio or TV in the page of Media.

(*) The ambassador is in charge of organizing the mountage of the corresponding big carpet in a public exhibition, divulgate the event in the local media, etc.