Roger's Connection Magnetic Building Set!

Roger's Connection


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Roger's Connection Gallery

Submissions by Simon Fraser - Page 1 of 3

Descriptions by Simon Fraser
Editorial comments by Roger's Connection are in italics.

This is a sphere made from pentagons, but, due to the way it rests on the floor, which puts some of the supporting rods under tension, it's a rather fragile shape. It took a couple of attempts to get the thing together!

This structure may also be called a stellated dodecahedron. Each of the twelve pentagonal faces of the dodecahedron is stabilized with a pentagonal pyramid. The term stellated comes from the Latin word stella, for star. (Ninety magnetic rods are required to build this structure) - RS

This one looks a lot better in real life -- the picture is taken from too high a viewpoint to show the shape well. I suspect that this is actually a squashed bucky ball; anyway, it's a sort of ovoid shape with legs. Pretty stable, once the structure is complete (and barring the meddling fingers of co-workers).

This interesting structure consists of two layers connected by just six struts. Despite this it is remarkably rigid. What's also nice about it is that you can stand the shape on many of its faces, and it stays up. I like it perched on a small face (as in the picture). Others prefer a more conventional stance on one of the flat surfaces, which brings to mind certain airport buildings.

This pentagonal shape is the basis for the structures pictured below. Two or more of these can be connected together in interesting ways, to form more organic-looking shapes.

Put 8 of the above pentagonal shapes together, and you get a ring like this, which can flex at each of the joins. Chains of pentagons have a lot of potential to make interesting shapes.

On to Simon Fraser's second Gallery page.

Simon Fraser also maintains his own Roger's Connection web page featuring his designs. You can also follow his link there back to his home page.