Endless Snowflake
Hard
Have you ever wondered if it's possible to create a shape with an infinite perimeter but a finite area? With this project, you can explore the possibilities of fractals and power series to construct a snowflake and discover new families of curves with infinite perimeters and finite areas.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that it is possible to construct shapes with infinite perimeters but finite areas.
Method & Materials
You will use the Geometer's Sketchpad program and a Koch curve to construct a snowflake and calculate its area.
You will need the Geometer's Sketchpad program and a Koch curve.
Results
This project reveals that it is possible to construct shapes with infinite perimeters but finite areas. Using the idea of convergent series, it is possible to add ever-smaller increments of area such that while the perimeter grows to infinity, the sum of the areas remains finite.
Why do this project?
This science project is unique because it explores the possibilities of fractals and power series to construct a snowflake and discover new families of curves with infinite perimeters and finite areas.
Also Consider
Experiment variations to consider include exploring the possibility of generalizing this approach to three dimensions, producing a shape of infinite surface area and finite volume, and constructing a snowflake with a different shape than the traditional triangular Koch curve.
Full project details
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