Discovering Relationships Involving Baravelle Spirals

When designing a mathematics capstone course for preservice teachers entitled 'Mathematical Patterns and Structures through Inquiry,” I wanted to include contexts in which mathematics provides the underlying structure for various visual and performing arts. The book Mathematical Quilts: No Sewing Required (Venters and Ellison 1999, p. 78) looks at a number of ways that mathematical concepts—such as the golden ratio, logarithmic spirals, Pythagorean triples, and Penrose tiles—are useful to know when designing various quilt patterns.