Hinged Dissections: Swinging and Twisting

Front Cover
Cambridge University Press, Aug 26, 2002 - Mathematics - 287 pages
If you enjoy beautiful geometry and relish the challenge and excitement of something new, the mathematical art of hinged dissections is for you. Using this book, you can explore ways to create hinged collections of pieces that swing together to form a figure. Swing them another way and then, like magic, they form another figure! The profuse illustrations and lively text will show you how to find a wealth of hinged dissections for all kinds of polygons, stars and crosses, curved and even three-dimensional figures. The author includes careful explanation of ingenious new techniques, as well as puzzles and solutions for readers of all mathematical levels. These novel and original dissections will be a gold mine for math puzzle enthusiasts, for math educators in search of enrichment topics, and for anyone who loves to see beautiful objects in motion.
 

Contents

Hinging on the Details
11
Making Squares Dance
33
Return to Polygonia
57
Stepping Around
72
Elation in Tessellations
93
With a little Help from my Friends
119
At Cross Purposes
126
And Also Starring
139
Four of a Kind
154
A New Breed of Swingers
177
Not Your Regular Polygons
192
The Flip Side
210
Twist and Shout
228
Puzzles Unhinged
258
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