Three sonobe origami models by Julia Collins. Sonobe units are fast and simple to fold, and can be fitted together to create beautiful, intriguing 3D shapes like these: I’ve got instructions for how to make a sonobe unit on my website and there are plenty of videos online, like this one: How to make a sonobe unit. Julia Collins, Author provided Enter the sonobe unitĪ sonobe unit (sometimes called the sonobe module) looks a bit like a parallelogram with two flaps folded behind. To build Platonic solids in origami, the best place to start is to master what’s known as the “sonobe unit” Sonobe units, like these ones piled in a stack, can be put together to create 3D shapes. While there are infinitely many regular polygons, there are, surprisingly, only five Platonic solids: The Platonic solids are 3D shapes made from regular 2D shapes (also known as regular polygons) where every side and angle is identical: equilateral triangles, squares, pentagons. They’re named after the ancient Greek philosopher Plato (although they almost certainly predate him and have been discovered in ancient civilisations around the world). In mathematics, the shapes with the most symmetry are called the Platonic solids. This model, folded by the author, uses a design from the book Perfectly Mindful Origami – The Art and Craft of Geometric Origami by Mark Bolitho. They require no mathematical background but will take you in some fascinating mathematical directions. My website Maths Craft Australia contains a range of modular origami patterns, as well as patterns for other crafts such as crochet, knitting and stitching. So, for a little effort you are rewarded with a vast number of models to explore. Many modular origami patterns, although they may use different units, have a similar method of combining units into a bigger creation. The building blocks, called units, are typically straightforward to fold the mathematical skill comes in assembling the larger structure and discovering the patterns within them. That’s where you use several pieces of folded paper as “building blocks” to create a larger, often symmetrical structure. The ‘building blocks’ of origami modelsĪs a geometer (mathematician who studies geometry), my favourite technique is modular origami. Any piece of origami will contain mathematical ideas and skills, and can take you on a fascinating, creative journey. I’m a mathematician whose hobby is origami, and I love introducing people to mathematical ideas through crafts like paper folding. Many of us could happily fold a paper crane, yet few feel confident solving an equation like x³ – 3 x² – x + 3 = 0, to find a value for x.īoth activities, however, share similar skills: precision, the ability to follow an algorithm, an intuition for shape, and a search for pattern and symmetry. For the triakis octahedron and the triakis icosahedron, three colours suffice (the triakis icosahedron pictured below is properly three-coloured).This article is part of a series explaining how readers can learn the skills to take part in activities that academics love doing as part of their work.An icosahedron has 20 faces, each of which is replaced by a trio of Sonobe units, and each unit participates in two faces, so you need 30 pieces of paper.The “cube” is actually a “triakis tetrahedron”, so it’s not as special as it seems! This might take some drawing to work out you might find it helpful to imagine what is left over if you slice each vertex off of a cube. You’ll need at least three colours for any of these models, because Sonobe units lock together in trios.How many faces has a cube got? Second way: each triple of Sonobe modules is going to form the corner of a cube how many corners is each module involved in, and how many corners has a cube got? There are at least two ways to count it! First way: each Sonobe module is going to end up with its square inner bit being the face of a cube. Assembly instructions for triakis octahedron (I didn’t print these): Hints and answers to my questions:
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |