This is a Menger Sponge. It is made from plastic canvas. A Menger Sponge is a 3D fractal. It is named after Karl Menger. The basic idea is that you take a cube and remove a square tunnel from the centre, in all three directions; then you remove a square tunnel, in all directions, from …
Tag: 3D printing
Sliceforms
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 …
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’. …
Two Kinds of Magic
Illusion knitting seems like magic. Things appear and disappear. A Kind of Magic is also the name of the chorus who became National Mixed Chorus Champions 2019 at the British Association of Barbershop Singers Convention. The chorus was an amalgamation of The Cottontown Chorus and Amersham A Cappella. Steve designed a wall-hanging to commemorate this …
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
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 …
One that got away
After I made my first 3D Curve of Pursuit I had a go at making a ‘skeleton’ version. The shape is good. This was my first time at using supports. The yellow bits you can see are the remains of the supports and it will take a lot more attention to get rid of them …