Ethan D. Bolker

Professor of Mathematics, Emeritus
UMass Boston
Boston,. Massachusetts, USA

I've built mathematical models ever since I read Hugo Steinhaus's

"Mathematical Snapshots" more than 60 years ago. Over time I graduated

from crude cardboard platonic polyhedra and soma cubes to some

constructions friends have graciously called art.


Variations on a cubical theme
30 x 30 x 10 cm
wood, plastic
1979, 2018

Steinhaus photographed the surprising hexagon that appears when you

halve a cube with a plane perpendicular to the long diagonal. His photo

inspired this four cube twenty four piece wooden puzzle and 3D printed

earrings. Can you see the hexagons? Stranger shapes emerge when you

slice into seven parts with six equally spaced planes not quite perpendicular

to the long diagonal to create a twenty eight piece for cube puzzle. You can

find out more and print your own at www.cs.umb.edu/~eb/slicecubes.