Welcome to this week’s Math Munch!
Print out two copies of this pattern, cut them out, and fold each along the dotted lines, making two identical solids. Then fit these two pieces together to make a regular tetrahedron.
Our first bit of fun comes from a blog called Futility Closet (previously featured). It’s a neat little cut-and-fold puzzle. The shape to the right can be folded up to make a solid with 5 sides. Two of them can be combined to make a solid with only 4 sides, the regular tetrahedron. If you’d like, you can use our printable version, which has two copies on one sheet.
What do you know, I also found our second item on Futility Closet! Check out the cool family of tiles below. What do you notice?
A family of self-tiling tiles
Did you notice that the four shapes in the middle are the same as the four larger shapes on the outside? The four tiles in the middle can combine to create larger versions of themselves! They can make any and all of the original four!!
Recreational Mathematician, Lee Sallows
Naturally, I was reminded of the geomagic squares we featured a while back (more at geomagicsquares.com), and then I came to realize they were designed by the same person, the incredible Lee Sallows! (For another amazing one of Lee Sallows creations, give this incredible sentence a read.) You can also visit his website, leesallows.com.
A family of 6 self-tiling tiles
For more self-tiling tiles (and there are many more amazing sets) click here. I have to point out one more in particular. It’s like a geomagic square, but not quite. It’s just wonderful. Maybe it ought to be called a “self-tiling latin square.”
And for a final item this week, we have a powerful drawing tool. It’s a website that reminds me a lot of recursive drawing, but it’s got a different feel and some excellent features. It’s called Doodal. Basically, whatever you draw inside of the big orange frame will be copied into the blue frames. So if there’s a blue frame inside of an orange frame, that blue frame gets copied inside of itself… and then that copy gets copied… and then that copy…!!!
To start, why don’t you check out this amazing video showing off some examples of what you can create. They go fast, so it’s not really a tutorial, but it made me want to figure more things out about the program.
I like to use the “delete frame” button to start off with just one frame. It’s easier for me to understand if its simpler. You can also find instructions on the bottom. Oh, and try using the shift key when you move the blue frames. If you make something you like, save it, email it to us, and we’ll add it to our readers’ gallery.
Start doodaling!
Make something you love. Bon appetit!
A fractal Math Munch Doodal
Math Munch 
makeing pictures of trees with this cool program
The video on Doodal was AMAZING!!! It would take forever for me to figure out the simplest things on that program. The person drawing must’ve practiced as those were gorgeous. My favorite was the leaf at the beginning of the video. The color was the perfect tone and the swirls added just the right touch to make it unique and new. I will definitely check out this new and exciting program. I have always loved swirly, complex designs and here is something that can make them at the click of a mouse.
Wow!! The Doodal video was beautiful!!! It was so amazing! I didn’t know that you could do all those cool effects to create that amazing art. The artist probably practiced many times before showing Math Munch that awesome art! My favorite was the leaf or the very first drawing. The swirls and texture of the color was just perfect to add that special touch. I will definitely check out this new and cool art program. I love all the ideas or art with complex. swirly, and colored designs. With this you could do all of that with some clicks of your mouse!!
this doodal video is so cool, and you didnt even use graph paper, I loved all the effects you used, IT WAS SO COOL!!!!
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