Hexagonal tessellation is covering a plane surface with multiple copies of a hexagon.
Hexagonal tessellation is covering a plane surface with multiple copies of a hexagon.
Tessellations were used at least 6000 years ago by Sumerians. Unfortunately, there is no surviving record of the inventor's name.
The basic element is usually a simple shape called a tessela. Although these are often polygons, that need not be the case. For more unusual basic shapes, see, the set of Symmetry artwork by MC Escher.
No. Multiple copies of the shape - whether arranged side-by-side or in an interlocking pattern, must cover a plane area without gaps or overlaps. A circle or regular pentagon, for example, will not tessellate.