Delta-K,  Feature Articles,  Volume 37, Issue 2

Pebble Power: Investigating Stone Shapes

Journal of the Mathematics Council of the Alberta Teachers’ Association

Volume 37 Issue 2, June 2000

65 – 66

Pebble Power: Investigating Stone Shapes

Richard T. Edgerton

My children, ages 4 and 7, have a habit of collecting rocks wherever we go. To my kids, the rocks have qualities I cannot begin to understand. Their collections include a variety of colors, designs and shapes-the more unusual the better! I know my children’s affection for rock collecting is shared by many other kids, much to the exasperation of their teachers and parents. I am pleased I have finally found a mathematical connection by which we can organize and discuss their collection without getting into intensive geological discussions–an area I prefer to avoid for this part of my life.