Flags of the World

Have you ever wondered what colour you would get if you mixed all the colours in a flag?

Even if you haven't, have a look at what you would get: I made it and put it on Cats in Drag

Tube Map Platonic Solids, pt. 2

Following my previous post, I did a little more folding.

The post was linked to on Going Underground's Blog where it received this comment:

In response to which I made this from 48 tube maps:

Also since the last post, I left 49 tetrahedrons at tube stations in a period of just over two weeks. Here's a pie chart showing which stations I left them at:

Of these 49, only three were still there the next time I passed through the station:

Due to the very low recapture rate, little more analysis can be done. Although I do wonder where they all ended up. Do you work at one of those stations and threw some away? Or did you pass through a station and pick one up? Or was it aliens and ghosts?

For my next trick, I want to gather a team of people, pick a day, and leave one at every station that day. If you want to join me, comment on this post, tweet me or comment on reddit and we can formulate a plan. Including your nearest station(s) in your message will help us sort out who takes which stations...

Tube Map Platonic Solids

This week, after re-reading chapter two of Alex's Adventures in Numberland (where Alex learns to fold business cards into tetrahedrons, cubes and octahedrons) on the tube, I folded two tube maps into a tetrahedron:

Following this, I folded a cube, an octahedron and an icosahedron:

The tetrahedron, icosahedron and octahedron were all made in the same way, as seen in Numberland: folding the map in two, so that a pair of opposite corners meet, then folding the sides over to make a triangle:

In order to get an equilateral triangle at this point, paper with sides in a ratio of 1:√3 is required. Although it is not exact, the proportions of a tube map are close enough to this to get an almost equilateral triangle. Putting one of these pieces together with a mirror image piece (one where the other two corners were folded together at the start) gives a tetrahedron. The larger solids are obtained by using a larger number of maps.

The cube—also found in Numberland—can me made by placing two tube maps on each other at right angles and folding over the extra length:

Six of these pieces combine to give a cube.

Finally this morning, with a little help from the internet, I folded a dodecahedron, thus completing all the Platonic solids:

To spread the joy of folding tube maps, each time I take the tube, I am going to fold a tetrahedron from two maps and leave it on the maps when I leave the tube. I started this yesterday, leaving a tetrahedron on the maps at South Harrow. In the evening, it was still there:

Do you think it will still be there on Monday morning? How often do you think I will return to find a tetrahedron still there? I will be keeping a tetrahedron diary so we can find out the answer to these most important questions...

Poem #4: Rhyme

This poem here doth truly rhyme,
I wrote it in so little time.

Poem #3: Applause

Applause applause applause applause
Applause applause applause
Applause applause applause applause
Applause applause a-chores

Poem #2: Cricket

All white, what a night,
Ball red, front foot led,
Down the green, swinging, mean,
"All out!" umpires shout.

Poem #1: Michael

By Jove, Gove!
Put the kettle on the stove, Gove.
I don't know when you arrove, Gove.
I'm beginning to loathe Gove.
Oh no (ve), Gove!