Platonic Solids Kaleidoscope
Look into a kaleidoscope of mirrors angled just right and you will see an image of a platonic solid in the reflections.
Materials
- You will need some mirror board (paper coated with a reflective surface), plastic mirrors that you can cut, or some other highly reflective material. I found a disposable plastic tray at a party supply store that had a highly reflective surface (silvered Mylar). It cuts easily but is rigid enough to hold its shape.
Steps
- Place the patterns on the mirrored surface.
- Poke a pin through the key points on the pattern to transfer the pattern to the mirror. Using a knife, lightly score lines connecting the pinholes to mark the lines you will cut and fold on.
- Turn the plastic mirror over and score the fold lines (cut partly through the plastic). Cut the piece out along the lines from step 2.
- Fold the mirror so the shiny side is facing in to make a kaleidoscope and tape the tab in place.
Place the mirror on a table so the smaller opening is facing down. Look straight down into the mirrored surfaces. The reflections form an image of a platonic solid.
Notes
- The isosceles triangle used to make the icosahedron kaleidoscope is the same shape as the faces of the Cheops (Khufu) Pyramid.
- This illusion takes advantage of the symmetries in platonic solids. The spherical model project shows the mirror symmetries.
References
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