Zometool 一个Math上精确的塑料结构是用来建造无数几何结构的吗, from simple polygons to Platonic solids, from models of DNA molecules to geodesic domes, from “shadows” of four-dimensional figures to works of Art. It is also a fantastic educational tool, 因为它促进了Math发现,同时释放了创造力. 本页提供了关于Zometool的简要Introduction和不断增长的资源集合. Comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome! 请联系 Dr. 克里斯。希尔.
关于我的: I'm a Zometool enthusiast (a.k.a. a 佐莫). I love building with it and using it as a teaching tool. 我已经举办了几个ZometoolWorkshops,并为中学生和高中生举办了“谷仓饲养”活动,我正在寻找机会做更多的事情.
This section provides an overview of how Zometool "works.然而,在使用Zometool之前,没有必要知道这些信息. Zometool is exceedingly user-friendly.
Zometool有两种类型的部件:圆形连接器球和彩色编码支柱. 每个连接器球有62个孔:30个矩形孔,20个三角形孔,12个五边形孔. 支柱的颜色表示它们将被装入球的哪个孔. Blue struts fit into the rectangular holes, 黄色的 struts fit into the triangular holes, 红色支柱和绿色支柱都适合五边形的洞. 然而, 绿色支柱具有两个弯曲,这使得它与红色支柱指向不同的方向. A connector ball allows for construction in 92 different directions.
Each color of strut comes in short, medium, and long sizes. Red struts also come in an even shorter “hypershort” size. 对于每种颜色的支柱, 一种尺寸的支柱与下一种尺寸的支柱之间的长度之比(如果有的话)是 黄金比例,大约是1.618. (For computing such ratios, “支杆的长度”等于支杆一端的节点中间到另一端节点中间的距离.) An elegant consequence of this fact is that for each color, 长支柱的长度等于连接短支柱的中支柱的长度. In brief, a long equals a medium plus a short. Similarly, in red, a medium equals a short plus a hypershort.
不同类型的结构需要不同类型的支撑. 例如,a 常规的十二面体 can be built with blue struts of the same size, a 菱形十二面体 with 黄色的 struts of the same size, a 菱形triacontahedron with red struts of the same size, a 正四面体 with green struts of the same size, 还有更复杂的结构,各种类型和尺寸的组合.
To make it easier to specify pArts for a project, 支柱输入“蓝色”,”“黄,”“红," and "green" are abbreviated "B," "Y," "R,和“G”," and the strut sizes "hypershort,”“短,”“中," and "long" are denoted "00," "0," "1,和2,”分别. 例如, 一个长长的蓝色支柱是B2, a medium 黄色的 strut is a Y1, a short green strut is a G0, and a hypershort red strut is an R00.
2011年之前, Zometool提供蓝色, 黄色的, 3号的红色支柱比2号的长,是黄金比例的一倍. Per the comments about the 黄金比例 above, 在给定的颜色中, 3号支柱与连接1号支柱的2号支柱具有相同的长度. Nevertheless, it's unfortunate that size 3 struts were discontinued. They allowed simple models to be built on a grander scale, 还有一些结构(如十个三角形棱镜的组合) Projects(见下文).
由于一种尺寸的支撑与下一种尺寸的支撑之间的长度之比对于所有类型的支撑都是相同的, a Zometool model can be scaled up (respectively, 通过将每个支柱替换为下一个更大的尺寸(分别, 小尺寸), provided that size strut exists.