More than 25 years ago I met John Sharp at a maths conference and was introduced to Sliceforms. John had written a book which was about to be published and is still in print. I don’t know whether John invented the name Sliceforms. I can’t find any evidence of them existing earlier. On the publisher’s …
Category: 3D Printing
3D printed Dyson adapter
We have far more vacuum cleaners than anyone can possibly need. We have a big house, on four floors but that’s not a good reason for so many. Part of the problem is that, because we have a lot of space, we tend to keep things, or bits of things, that might ‘come in useful’. …
Flatland Lock
About ten years ago we came across a puzzle called Bank Raid, in Leonardo’s Mirror & Other Puzzles by Ivan Moscovich. The puzzle itself was inspired by the 2- dimensional world of Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin Abbott Abbott. At the time we made a crochet blanket. Obviously it was not possible …
Klein Bottles
To Eternity and Beyond
I have been continuing to work on my From Square To Eternity design (see blog post from March 25 for the first stages). This is what I was aiming for These are probably as near as I’m going to get. The image never disappears when you look directly at the print. I think this is …
From Square To Eternity
One of our favourite mathematical designs is something we call From Square To Eternity. It will be very familiar to mathematicians and quilters. The four triangles that make up the new square have the same area as everything that has gone before. If you find that difficult to believe, imagine folding in the last set …
New Glasses
Ben made another puppet that needed glasses. I know a little more about 3D printing than I did a month ago so I was able to adjust the settings to get a better print. These are puppet versions of the presenters of the TMRO Space webcast I doubt if anyone else would want to make …
Reinventing the wheel
I printed a small toy with rotating wheels and was intrigued when I found it is possible to print something all in one go and for the wheels to be able to move. I didn’t need any wheels, and I didn’t want to use anyone else’s designs for wheels, so I experimented just to find …
DIY Circular Needles
I am not really a sock knitter but I recently wrote a pattern for mathematical slippers and made several pairs in a few weeks. The front, sides and sole of the slippers are knitted flat; the cuffs can be knitted flat or in the round. Things with a small circumference, such as socks, can be …
Magician’s Chain
Several years ago, Colin Wright (mathematician/magician/juggler extraordinaire) showed me a Magician’s Chain. This is a toy made from metal rings where the rings cascade from the top of the chain. It was fascinating, fun, and quite intriguing. I have seen Colin’s chain, and others, many times since. Then, a few months ago, I was at …