Lesser-known alternative to
straw-and-microfilament polyhedra.
Staple of 4th grade
geometry classes.
Polyhedra constructed by
inverting paperclips, bending them to the proper angle, expanding the ends, and inserting into
straws. Repeat, and you have
neat-o shapes. Advantages over straw-and-microfilament construction include: ability to construct
hexahedra (
cubes) and
dodecahedra that do not collapse, faster construction process. Disadvantages include: paperclips must be precisely adjusted to the proper angle before
straw penetration, mildly uneven
vertices, possibility of
straw breakage.
The simple polyhedra (tetrahedron, hexahedron, octahedron, dodecahedron, icosahedron are those most often constructed in geometry classes, but some more advanced classes delve into the archimedian solids which are truncated or blended versions of the basic regular polyhedra.
I have derived
unnatural amounts of
fun from building straw-and-paperclip polyhedra since I learned of the process in a
TAG mathematics class in 4th grade. I have built shapes, hats, castles, birdlike
minimalistic animals, and an
egg drop project out of straws and paperclips. On a recent visit to
my old school, I helped teach a 4th grade class that was learning
straw-and-microfilament polyhedra how to build them with paperclips instead. They loved the cube that would stand up on its own.