RPSLK Dice
These dice are available here:
From Amazon: BUY NOW: Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock Dice
RPSLK Dice: the famous Lizard Spock extension to the Rock, Paper, Scissors game expressed on 10 sided dice allowing the study of the non-associative nature of the game (Rock wins Scissors, and Scissors wins Paper, but Rock does not win Paper, etc.), and other interesting math. The original RPS game had three “weapons” and only three rules are needed to play the game. Adding Lizard-Spock makes for 5 gestures, but now 10 rules must be used, including “Spock vaporizes Rock”, “Lizard poisons Spock”, and my favorite “Paper disproves Spock” (swipe to see famous graphic). Interestingly, mathematical analysis shows a similar four weapon game with equal odds of winning is not possible. It was also found that the next possible game with 7 gestures would require 21 rules to play. The Lizard-Spock extension was invented by Sam Kass and Karen Bryla in 2005 and made famous on the sitcom Big Bang Theory.
"Magic Octagon" Challenge
Make your own with these nice wooden octagons:
From Etsy: BUY NOW: Laser Cut Octagons
“Magic Octagon” Challenge: a puzzle of successive rotations. Which way will the orange arrow point after left and right rotations of the blue arrow? No trickery here- just the math of geometry, symmetry, rotations, and reflections and how our intuitions often fail us upon first attempts. Swipe twice for second challenge. From the mind of David Masunaga by way of Dan Meyer.
CUMOS Cube Kaleidoscope
The CUMOS Cube is a creation of artist Minori Yamazaki. Available for purchase- inquire via the contact info below:
Fron Art of Play: BUY NOW: Cosmos in a Box
CUMOS Cube: a variation on the Kaleidoscope by artist @minori.yamazaki that produces a Cosmos in a box. So much wonder hidden within this unassuming white cube where etchings on front surface mirrors produce the repeating geometric patterns. A moving light source (led flashlight) is projected on the cube producing the dazzling animation effect on the multiple reflections.
Tapered Mirror Kaleidoscopes
These precision kaleidoscopes are crafted from front surface mirrors and other specialty materials, many with innovative design and construction techniques:
From Etsy: BUY NOW: Kaleidoscopes by Marc Tickle
See more kaleidoscopes in my collection.
Tapered Mirror Kaleidoscopes: hidden within these colorful tubes are tapered mirrors, 2 rolling glass spheres, and 1 dichroic glass reflector. These elements combine to produce the dynamic and magical images seen through the view window as the device is slightly tilted back and forth and brought in and out of a bright light source. The first design uses 3 mirrors to create the hexagonal symmetries, the second design uses 4 mirrors to produce the infinite cylinder effect. These unique teleidoscope designs are but two of many creations by artist Marc Tickle. Invented by the famous Scottish physicist Sir David Brewster (1781-1868), the kaleidoscope is an ultimate physics toy and entire field of artistic endeavor.
Tapered 4-Mirror Kaleidoscope
These precision kaleidoscopes are crafted from front surface mirrors and other specialty materials, many with innovative design and construction techniques:
From Etsy: BUY NOW: Kaleidoscopes by Marc Tickle
Tapered 4-Mirror Kaleidoscope: not CGI- these images are produced by mirrors and light! Hidden within this colorful tube are 4 mirrors, 2 rolling glass spheres, and 1 dichroic glass reflector. These elements combine to produce the dynamic and magical images seen through the view window as the device is slightly tilted back and forth and brought in and out of a bright light source. Entitled “Dichroic Disco” this piece is but one of many amazing creations by artist Marc Tickle, taking kaleidoscope design to the next level. Invented by the famous Scottish physicist Sir David Brewster (1781-1868), the kaleidoscope is an ultimate physics toy and entire field of artistic endeavor.
Fractal Tree Ornament
Get this and other mathematical creations by George Bell:
from Etsy: BUY NOW: Koch Snowflake Ornament
Fractal Tree Ornament: four iterations of the famous Koch Snowflake fractal are ingeniously combined as the four symmetry planes of a cuboctahedron. A very seasonal mathematical object to hang on the tree! Designed and 3D printed by artist and maker George Bell.
Polarized Light Cell Kaleidoscope
Click here for affordable, precision made scopes with angled mirrors: Kaleidoscope Symmetries Explored
Similar Kaleidoscopes available here:
From Amazon: BUY NOW Fluid Flow Kaleidoscope
From Etsy: Fluid Flow Kaleidoscope
See more kaleidoscopes in my collection: Kaleidoscopes
Polarized Light Cell Kaleidoscope: the amazing colors you see from the object cell of this 3 mirror kaleidoscope are generated by manipulating the polarization of light- the object in the clear wand is a strip of clear cellophane in oil which has the property of optical rotation. These property allows for an incredible range of color formation when placed between two linear polarization filters (swipe for demonstration). A creation of kaleidoscope artist Ron Kuhns.
Magnetic Soma Cube
Get this inexpensive SomaCube here:
From Amazon: BUY NOW: Magnetic Soma Cube
Magnetic Soma Cube: a new fun variant of the famous math toy invented by Danish scientist and artist Piet Hein, who claimed that this puzzle came to him as he was listening to a lecture on Quantum Mechanics by Werner Heisenberg (yes- that Heisenberg). The seven pieces of this puzzle are all the ways 3 or 4 cubes can be joined such that the piece has at least one inside corner. In this version small magnets are encased in cleverly designed cavities such that they will always flip over to attract a counterpart in another puzzle piece, allowing the puzzle to stick together- or hang from the side of the refrigerator. Amazingly there are 240 ways to make the cube from these 7 pieces- still not that easy!
Stellated Dodecahedron of the Sagrada Familia
Similar 3D printed form:
From Etsy: BUY NOW: Stellated Dodecahedron
Stellated Dodecahedron of the Sagrada Familia: another amazing application of aesthetic geometry encountered in my travels to Barcelona. The latest addition to the continued construction of Antoni Gaudi’s design was placed upon the Tower of the Virgin Mary in 2021, an illuminated stellated dodecahedron made of glass. Swipe to see a photo and the impressively detailed model of the spire featured in the on-site museum. I purchased this 3D printed model of the star in the museum gift shop.
Dendritic Quartz
Available here:
From Etsy: BUY NOW: Dendritic Quartz
Dendritic Quartz: Fractal patterns are found throughout Nature- but few are in as pure a fractal form as these manganese dendrite inclusions, found in quartz and other mineral compounds where they grow along the cracks and joint planes of crystals. The fractal dimension of these delicately branched structures is about D=1.8 as estimated by the famous “box counting” algorithm. I picked up this beautiful fractal quartz freeform cabochon from @rareearthminingco (thanks Curtis!) at the Tucson gem, mineral, and fossil show.
Invisible Ink and UV LED Pen
This item came to me in my Winter 2022 Curiosity Box subsciption:
Get (or give!) a Curiosity Box subscription here: JOIN NOW: The Curiosity Box
Get this amazing and inexpensive version of the Spirograph here:
From Amazon: BUY NOW: Spirograph Animator
Get a similar pen and UV light here:
From Educational Innovations: BUY NOW UV Pen
Invisible Ink and UV Pen: this pen utilizes a clear ink that when dry is barely noticeable, but contains fluorescent compounds that reveals its presence under long wave ultraviolet light. This cool pen with UV LED light came in my @thecuriositybox yesterday where I applied it to make some hypotrochoid roulette curves with this pocket Spirograph set.
Squaring a Circle Sculpture
This sculpture available as a 3D print:
From ShapeWays: BUY NOW: Square Circle Illusion
See other amazing geometric illusions here: Ambiguous Objects
Squaring a Circle: from one particular point of view this wireframe sculpture looks like a circle, from another it’s a square! From other viewing angles one can see that the underlying curve is comprised of four identical segments of a parabola. A wonderful example of how a single perspective can be misleading! A math sculpture available as a 3D print by Matt Enlow.
3D Wordflip Sculpture
Create your own here:
From sparenbergdesign.com: BUY NOW: 3D Wordflip
3D WordFlip Sculpture: from one point of view my logo appears, rotate 90 degrees and the sculpture reveals my tagline phrase “real magic”. Alternatively the messages can be cast as shadows (swipe to view). Amazingly you can create and print any two phrases of your choosing from the webpage of artist and designer Joris Sparenberg.
Sphere and other Orbiforms
Similar items available here:
From Etsy: BUY NOW: Sphere and Orbiforms
Sphere and other Orbiforms: pi day special post- volumes of constant width made from solid brass. These shapes have constant diameter no matter their orientation and will roll like spheres between two planes- note how the acrylic plate stays parallel to the table as the sphere and other orbiforms roll underneath. The first orbiform is based on the Reuleaux triangle and the second on a Reuleaux pentagon. Fun pi fact- the perimeter of any shape of constant width is alway equal to the diameter(width) multiplied by pi: P=πd.
Bisected Tetrahedron
Available here:
From eBay: BUY NOW: Bisected Tetrahedron
Print your own with these files: Five Screw Puzzles
See the related Tirsected Cube Puzzle
Bisected Tetrahedron Puzzle: two identically shaped pieces interlock to form the famous four faced platonic solid in this ingenious dissection puzzle. The tetrahedron is sliced following a helical path along the 2-fold symmetry axis (middle of one edge to its opposite), creating a smooth disassembly, and a smooth but mildly challenging reassembly. Fun math today from puzzle maker, artist, and mathematician George Hart.
Tessellation Origami
See more of Ekaterina's amazing work on her website gallery: Kusudama me!
Contact her to buy her artwork, or you can buy her books and learn how to fold amazing geometries!
From Amazon: BUY NOW: Ekaterina Lukasheva: Papercraft and Origami
Tessellation Origami: nested spirals and triangles created from one flat sheet of paper! This beautiful work by Ekaterina Lukasheva also demonstrates how folded paper can obtain very different physical properties than that of the original flat paper. When stretched out this paper sculpture prefers to snap back into spirals and triangles, and although most materials bulge out when compressed along one direction, here the design compresses evenly along all three axis of the hexagonal symmetry. Title: Electricity-A Variaton of Spaced unit Opus_T-142.
Squirclusion (Square Circle Illusion)
Get this sculpture here:
From Etsy: BUY NOW: Squirclusion
Squirclusion (Square Circle Illusion): from one particular point of view this sculpture looks like a circle inside a square, from another, a square inside a circle- a matter of perspective! From other viewing angles one can make out that the underlying curves for each circle/square component are four identical segments of a parabola conjoined. Another reminder of how a single perspective can be misleading. This math sculpture is available as a 3D print, expertly designed and produced by Pyrigan Puzzles.