Iain Downer

Growing Shapes
Aim

My aim is to investigate and explain the growth of congruent shapes by using

different methods. I am going to try and find out the formulae for the following in this
order:

• Length
• Perimeter
• Area
• Number of shapes
• Number of Lines (inner, outer)
• Number of shapes added
• Number of vertices

At the end of my investigation I am going to look at my results for both squares and
triangles and compare them to see if they have anything in common or are similar in
any way.

I also hope to extend my coursework and look at 3D shapes or other shapes such as
pentagons, hexagons etc…

I am going to work systematically and look to spot any patterns, and in the end,
establish an algebraic formula for all things listed above.

The patterns for squares are as follows

1 2 3 4

Area = 1
Length = 1

Area = 5
Length = 3
5 Area = 13
Length = 5
Area = 25
Length = 7

Area = 41
Length = 9

The patterns for triangles are as follows

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1 2 3 4
Area = 1
Width = 1

Area = 4
Width = 3

Area = 10
Width = 5 Area = 19
Area = 31 Width = 7
Width = 9

The pattern for squares grows by adding another square to each face every time:

The pattern for triangles grows by adding another triangle to each face every time:

Growing Shapes: Squares

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Perimeter

Pattern no. (n) Perimeter D1

1 4 8
2 12 8
3 20 8
4 28 8
5 36 As there are all 8’s in the D1 column, the
formula contains 8n

Pattern no. (n) Perimeter Perimeter – 8n

1 4 -4
2 12 -4
3 20 -4
4 28 -4
5 36 -4

Formula for perimeter of squares – Formula = 8n-4

Check
When n = 5
Perimeter = 8n - 4
=8×5–4
= 36

Length and Width

Pattern no. (n) Length D1

1 1 2
2 3 2
3 5 2
4 7 2
5 9

As there are all 2’s in the D1 column, the formula contains 2n

Pattern no. (n) Length Length – 2n

1 1 -1
2 3 -1
3 5 -1
4 7 -1
5 9 -1

Formula for length of squares – formula = 2n – 1

Check
When n = 3

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Length = 2n – 1
=2×3–1
=5

Number of Squares/Area

Pattern no. (n) No. of Squares D1 D2

1 1 4
2 5 8 4
3 13 4 As there are all 4’s in the D2
12
4 25 4 column, the formula contains 2n2.
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5 41

Pattern no. (n) No. of Squares No. of Squares – 2n2 D1

1-2 1 -1
2-2 5 -3
3-2 13 -5 As there are all -2’s in
4-2 25 -7 the D1 column, the
5 41 -9 formula contains 2n2 –
2n.

I need to substitute in the pattern number to find out what to do next.

I am going to use 3 to start with.

(2×32) – (2×3) = 12

To get from 12 to 13, I need to add 1.

I am now going to substitute in 4 to see if it works as well.

(2×42) – (2× 4) = 24

To get from 24 to 25, I need to add 1 so the formula = 2n2 – 2n + 1 and works for
everything.

Check
When n = 2
Area = 2n2 -2n + 1
= 2×22 – 4 +1
=5

I have to use another method to find the formula so I am going to use the odd numbers
method.

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1
1 3 1
1 3 5 3 1

1 3 5 7 5 3 1

I notice that with pattern 4 in columns when n = 4:

2 lots of (1 + 3 + 5) = 2 x 9
1 lot of 7 = 1 x 7
2 x 9 = 2(n-1)2
7 = 2n – 1

Ts = 2(n-1)2 + 2n – 1

Number of Lines

Pattern no. (n) No. of lines D1 D2

1 4 As there are all 8’s in the D2 column, the formula
12
2 8 16 contains 4n2.
20
328 8 36
Pattern
436 8no. (n) No.
64 of lines No. of lines - 4n2
51 4
100 0
2 16 0
3 36 0
4 64 0
5 100 0

The formula for number of lines = 4n2

Check

Number of lines = 4n2

= 4 × 32
= 36

Number of Shapes Added

I started with pattern number 2 because there is no previous shape to add the squares
onto

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Pattern no. (n) No. shapes added D1

42 4
43 8
44 12
45 16
6 20

As there are all 4’s in the D1 column, the formula contains 4n.

Pattern no. (n) No. shapes added No. shapes added - 4n

2 4 -4
3 16 -4
4 36 -4
5 64 -4
6 100 -4

The formula for number of shapes added = 4n – 4

Check

Number of shapes added = 4n – 4

=4×3–4
=8

Number of outer vertices

Pattern no. (n) No. of outer vertices D1

1 4
4
2 8 4
3 12 4
4 16 As there are all 4’s in the D1
4
5 20 column, the formula contains 4n.

Pattern no. (n) No. of outer vertices No. of outer vertices - 4n

1 4 0
2 8 0
3 12 0
4 16 0
5 20 0

Formula for number of outer vertices = 4n

Check

Number of outer vertices = 4n

=4×3

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= 12

Growing Shapes: Triangles

Perimeter

Pattern no. (n) Perimeter D1 D2 D3

1 3 3
2 6 3
6 -6
3 12 -3
3 6
4 15 3
6 -6
5 21 -3
3 6
6 24 3
6
7 30

I can tell that this method for working out the perimeter does not work because the
numbers in the difference columns alternate between positive and negative.

Instead of trying to find a formula for the all of the triangular patterns, I can try and
find 2 separate formulas for the patterns where the added triangles are pointing up and
the patterns where the triangles are pointing down.

Pattern no. Pattern no. pointing up(n) Perimeter D1

19 1 3
39 2 12 As there are all 9’s in the
59 3 21 D1 column, the formula
79 4 30 contains 9n.
9Pattern no. pointing
5 39
up(n) Perimeter Perimeter – 9n
1 3 -6
2 12 -6
3 21 -6
4 30 -6
5 39 -6
Formula for the perimeter of a triangular pattern when the added squares are pointing
up = 9n-6.

Check

Formula = 9n-6
= 9×3 – 6
= 21

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Pattern no. Pattern no. pointing down(n) Perimeter D1

29 1 6
49 2 15
96 3 24
89 4 33
10 5 42

As there are all 9’s in the D1 column, the formula contains 9n.

Pattern no. pointing down(n) Perimeter Perimeter – 9n

1 6 -3
2 15 -3
3 24 -3
4 33 -3
5 42 -3

Formula for the perimeter of a triangular pattern when the added squares are pointing
down = 9n-3.

Check

Formula = 9n-3
= 9×3 – 3
= 24

Number of Triangles/Area

The yellow triangles represent the area

Pattern no. (n) No. of Triangles D1 D2

1 1 3
2 4 3
6 3
3 10 9
4 19 3
12
5 31

1 2
As there are all 3’s in the D2 column, the formula contains 1 n
2

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Pattern no.(n) No. of Triangles 1 2

D1
No. of Triangles - 1 n
2
1 1 -0.5
2 4 -2 -1.5
-1.5
3 10 -3.5
-1.5
4 19 -5
-1.5
5 31 -6.5

1 2 1
As there are all -1.5’s in the D1 column, the formula contains 1 n -1 n.
2 2

Pattern no.(n) No. of Triangles 1 2 1

No. of Triangles - 1 n -1 n
2 2
1 1 1
2 4 1
3 10 1
4 19 1
5 31 1

1 2- 1
Formula for working out the Number of Triangles = 1 n 1 n+1
2 2

Check

1 2 1
Number of Triangles = 1 n -1 n + 1
2 2
= (32×1.5) - (1.5×3) +1
= 24

Number of lines

The black lines represent the number of lines.

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Pattern no. (n) No. of Lines D1 D2 D3

61 3
2 6 9
12 -3
3 3 21
15 3
4 6 36
21
5
24 57

This method doesn’t work because you never have all the same number in the
difference column.

This means that I have to work out the formula for the odd and even pattern numbers
separately. This also means that I must extend the table using the pattern I have
already found.

Pattern no. (n) No. of Lines D1 D2 D3

1 3 6
2 9 6
12 -3
3 21 3
15 3
4 36 6
21 -3
5 57 3
24 3
6 81 6
30 -3
7 111 3
33 3
8 144 6
39 -3
9 183 3
42
10 225

Even Pattern no. (n) No. of lines D1 D2

2 1 9 27
4 2 36 45 18
6 3 81 63 18
8 4 144 81 18
10 5 225

Formula for working out the number of lines in an even pattern number = 9n2

Check

No. of lines = 9n2

= 32 × 9
= 81

D1 D2
Odd Pattern no. (n) No. of lines
118 1 3
336 18 2 21
554 18 3 57
772 18 4 111 10
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As there are all 18’s in the D2 column, the formula contains 9n2.

D1
Odd Pattern no. (n) No. of lines No. of lines – 9n2
1 1 3 -6 -9
3 2 21 -15 -9
5 3 57 -24 -9
7 4 111 -33 -9
9 5 183 -42

As there are all 9’s in the D1 column, the formula contains9n2 – 9n.

Odd Pattern no. (n) No. of lines No. of lines – 9n2- 9n

1 1 3 +3
3 2 21 +3
5 3 57 +3
7 4 111 +3
9 5 183 +3

Formula for working out the number of lines in an even pattern number = 9n2 -9n+3.

Check

No. of lines = 9n2 -9n + 3

= (32 × 9) -9n +3
= 57

Number of Triangles Added

The red squares represent the added triangles.

Pattern no. (n) Triangles Added D1

13 0
23 3
33 6 11
43 9
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As there are all 3’s in the D1 column, the formula contains 3n.

Pattern no. (n) Triangles Added Triangles Added – 3n

1 0 -3
2 3 -3
3 6 -3
4 9 -3
5 12 -3

Formula for working out the number of triangles added = 3n-3

Check

Triangles added = 3n-3

=3×3–3
=6

Width

For width I am going to measure the widest part of the shape.

Pattern no. (n) Width D1

1 1 2
2 3 2
3 5 2
4 7 2
5 9

As there are all 2’s in the D1 column, the formula contains 2n.

Pattern no. (n) Width Width – 2n

1 1 -1
2 3 -1
3 5 -1
4 7 -1
5 9 -1

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The formula for working out the width of the shape = 2n-1

Check

Width = 2n-1
= 2×3 – 1
=5

Growing Shapes Extension: Pentagons

The pattern for pentagons is as follows:

You can’t draw them

like this because
regular pentagons do
not tessellate.

You must draw them like this, using irregular pentagons.

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For pentagons, I am only going to work out the formula for the total pentagons and
pentagons added.

Area/Number of Pentagons

Pattern no. (n) No. of Pentagons D1 D2

1 1 5
2 6 5
10
3 16 5
15
4 31 5
20
5 51

As there are all 5’s in the D2 column, the formula contains 2.5n2.

Pattern no. (n) 2.5n2 No. of Pentagons – 2.5n2 D1

1 1 1.5 -2.5
2 3 4 -2.5
3 5 6.5 -2.5
4 7 9 -2.5
5 9 11.5

As there are all -2.5’s in the D2 column, the formula contains 2.5n2 – 2.5n

Pattern no. (n) 2.5n2 -2.5n

1 0
2 5
3 15
4 30
5 50

I can tell from the table that all I need to do is add 1 to get the same amount as the
total pentagons so the formula = 2.5n2 – 2.5n + 1

Check

No. of Pentagons = 2.5n2 – 2.5n + 1

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= (2.5 x 32) – 2.5 x 3 + 1

= 16

Pentagons Added

Pattern no. (n) Pentagons Added D1

1 0 5
2 5 5
3 10 5
4 15 5
5 20 As there are all 5’s in the D1
column, the formula contains 5n

Pattern no. (n) Pentagons added Pentagons added – 5n

1 1 -5
2 3 -5
3 5 -5
4 7 -5
5 9 -5

The formula for working out the number of pentagons added = 5n-5.

I have spotted a pattern for the number of shapes added for every shape.
Squares added = 4n-4
Triangles added = 3n-3
Pentagons added = 5n-5

Therefore, I predict that the formula for working out the number of hexagons added =
6n-6.

Check

Pentagons added = 5n – 5
=5x3–5
= 10

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Growing Shapes Extension: Hexagons

The pattern for hexagons is as follows.

For hexagons I am only going to work out the area.

Area/Number of Hexagons

I have looked at the formulae for working out the area of squares, triangles and
pentagons and I have spotted a pattern.

Area of triangles = 1.5n2-1.5n+1

Area of Squares = 2n2-2n+1
Area of pentagons = 2.52-2.5n+1

After looking at these formulae, I predict that the formula for working out the total
number of hexagons will be 3n2 – 3n +1

Pattern no. (n) No. of Hexagons D1 D2

1 1 6
2 7 6
12
3 19 6
18
4 37 6
24
5 61

As there are all 6’s in the D2 column, the formula contains 3n2.

Pattern no. (n) 3n2 No. of Hexagons – 3n2 D1

1 1 -2
3
2 3 -5
3
3 5 -8
3
43 7 -11
5 9 -14
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As there are all 3’s in the D1 column, the formula contains 3n2 – 3n

Pattern no. (n) 3n2-3n

1 0
2 6
3 18
4 36
5 60

I can see from the table that I need to add 1 to each to get the same amount as the
pattern number so the formula = 3n2 – 3n + 1

Check

No. of hexagons = 3n2 – 3n + 1

= (3 x 32) – (3 x 3) +1
= 19

Growing Shapes Extension: 3D Shapes

For 3D shapes, I am only going to work out the number of cubes.

The pattern for 3D shapes is as follows.

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I drew the shapes using individual cubes which I found on AutoShapes in Word.

Area/Number of Cubes

Pattern no. (n) No. of Cubes D1 D2 D3

1 1 6
2 7 12
18 8
3 25 20
38 8
4 63 28
66
5 129

1 3
As there are all 8‘s in the D3 column, the formula contains 1 n
3

Pattern no. (n) No. of cubes 1 3 D1 D2

No. of cubes – 1 n
3
1 1 1
-
3 1
2 7 2 -3
-3 3
3 1 -4
3 25 -11 -7
3
1 -4
4 63 1 -11
-22 3
3 1
-4
-15
5 129 2 3
-37
3

1 3
As there are all -4’s in the D2 column, the formula contains 1 n – 2n2
3
Pattern no. (n) No. of cubes 1 3 D1
No. of cubes – 1 n – 2n2
3
1 1 2
1
3 2
2 7 1 2
4 3
3 2
2
3 25 7 3
2
2
4 63 2 3
9 2
3 2
5 129 1 3
12
3

2 1 2
As there are all -2 in the D1 column, the formula contains 1 n3 – 2n2 + 2 n
3 3 3

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Pattern no. (n) No. of cubes 1 3 2

No. of cubes – 1 n – 2n2 + 2 n
3 3
1 1 2
2 7 8
3 25 16
4 63 64
5 129 130

1 3 2
I can see from the table that I need to -1 so the formula = 1 n – 2n2 + 2 n - 1
3 3

Conclusion

Here is a table showing all the formulas I have managed to work out during my
investigation.

Squares – Perimeter 8n-4

Squares – Area 2n2-2n+1
Squares – No. of lines 4n2
Squares – Length 2n-1
Squares – Shapes added 4n-4
Squares – No. of outer vertices 4n
Triangles – Perimeter Pointing up 9n-6, Pointing down 9n-3
Triangles – Area 1 2 1
1 n -1 n + 1
2 2
Triangles – No. of lines 9n2
Triangles – Width 2n-1
Triangles – Shapes added 3n-3
Pentagons – Area 2.5n2-2.5n+1
Pentagons – Shapes added 5n-5
Hexagons – Area 3n2-3n+1
3D shapes – Area 1 3 2
1 n -2n2+2 n-1
3 3

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