Math Monday: Hexagonal stick arrangements
By George Hart for the Museum of Mathematics
Interpenetrating hexagonal arrangements of sticks are a challenging mathematical exercise to assemble from pencils. Four different directions are used, as color-coded here. The above sculpture, 72 Pencils, has tiny dots of glue to hold itself together, but you can easily use eight rubber bands around the ends.
The idea scales up to larger sizes very nicely, as can be seen in this version made by David Russell from three foot long dowels.
And what better way to celebrate the joys of mathematics than with a ritual conflagration!
More:
- Math Monday: Paper plate geometry
- Math Monday: 3D Hilbert curve from plumbing supplies
- Math Monday: Math-play with your food
- Math Monday: Mathematical art in the lava
- Math Monday: Balloon polyhedra
- Math Monday: Sierpinski tetrahedron
- Math Monday: Skewer hyperboloid
- Math Monday: Morton Bradley sculpture
- Math Monday: Tetraxis puzzle
- Math Monday: Giant burr puzzles
- Math Monday: Fractal polyhedra clusters
- Math Monday: Giant SOMA puzzle
- Math Monday: Tie your bagel in a knot!
- Math Monday: Playing card constructions
- Introducing “Math Monday”
