Jun 10, 2010  •  In Art/Design, Geek, Information

The N States of America

What happens to the number of stars on Old Glory when a new state joins the union? Well, a federal law requires that the number of stars must equal the number of states. But the greater question remains: where would we put the new star?

Fear not, for mathematician Skip Garibaldi has created a computer program to figure out the most geometric — and aesthetically pleasing — layouts for the stars should this happen:

Enter the number of states, from one to a hundred, to see the best star patterns according to Garibaldi’s program.

Now we know what the new flag would look like if Puerto Rico becomes a state!

Via Slate.

You may also like:

4 Responses to “The N States of America”

  1. Benjamin B says:

    Apparently there are no valid patterns for 29, 69 or 87 stars.

  2. Geek in Heels says:

    @Benjamin — Surely you didn’t click through all the numbers to figure this out? 😉

  3. Christiana says:

    I wonder what will happen if DC ever gets voting rights. Does this mean we get a star on the flag too?!?! Do we become a state, or just finally receive representation…

  4. Frances says:

    Puerto Rico deserve it because Puerto Ricans fight in the war for USA and the stupid congress don’t want to give them statehood, Puerto Ricas voted for statehood and won the 61%.

Leave a Reply to Geek in Heels Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *