Column

  1. Math

    Möbius and his Band

    Making a Möbius strip. A Möbius band (or strip) is an intriguing surface with only one side and one edge. You can make one by joining the two ends of a long strip of paper after giving one end a 180-degree twist. An ant can crawl from any point on such a surface to any […]

    By Ivars Peterson
  2. Math

    Chemical Dissections

    In recreational mathematics, a geometric dissection involves cutting a geometric figure into pieces that you can reassemble into another figure. For example, it’s possible to slice a square into four angular pieces that can be rearranged into an equilateral triangle. The same four pieces can be assembled into a square or an equilateral triangle.