Algebra Geometry Grades 5–HS

Betsy Ross's 5-pointed star


Flag of the United States from 1777 to 1795.

 

 In honor of Independence Day we thought it would be fun to look at one story about the first American Flag. The rough design of the flag was drawn by a committee of George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross in 1776.  When approached by the committee, George Ross's niece, a respected seamstress, Betsy Ross, suggested some important changes.  One change was to use a 5-pointed star to represent each of the 13 colonies. The committee objected that a pentagram would be too hard to make. Betsy demonstrated that she could create the desired star by simply folding fabric and making just one scissors cut.  So, the design was changed. How did she do that fold and cut?


Common Core standards

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