Sam Hartburn

sam@samhartburn.co.uk

Author: Sam Hartburn

  • What’s Going On with my Knees?

    A poem that’s mostly about nerves, and a little bit about lowest common multiples.

  • Rupert Polyhedra: Octahedron

    Rupert Polyhedra: Octahedron

    A polyhedron is Rupert if you can cut a hole in it that’s large enough for an identical polyhedron to fit through. I’ve already talked about the Rupert tetrahedron and the Rupert cube. Now it’s the turn of the octahedron.

  • Rupert Polyhedra: Cube

    Rupert Polyhedra: Cube

    Last week, I wrote about Rupert polyhedra, and how a tetrahedron has the Rupert property. The idea dates back to the 1600s, when Prince Rupert of the Rhine won a bet that it was possible to make a hole in a cube that was large enough for an identical cube to pass through, so let’s…

  • Rupert Polyhedra: Tetrahedron

    Rupert Polyhedra: Tetrahedron

    For a polyhedron to be classed as Rupert, it must be possible to cut a hole in it that is large enough for an identical polyhedron to pass through. It sounds impossible, but many polyhedra have this property, including the tetrahedron.

  • The Multiples of Me

    I’m a primeYou know what that meansI have no factorsOkay, there’s one, and meBut they’re not proper factorsReal factorsTangible factorsThey don’t count, you see

  • I Like Brussels Sprouts

    At the choir I sing with, we sang a Christmas-themed warm-up song to the tune of Jelly on a Plate. It’s a simple song with just one repeated sentence: ‘I like Brussels sprouts’. The catch is that you don’t break the sentence, even when it doesn’t fit with the phrasing of the song. The syllable…

  • (Not) Squaring the Circle: Explained – Part 2

    (Not) Squaring the Circle: Explained – Part 2

    For MathsJam 2019 I wrote a poem, (Not) Squaring the Circle, which features the construction of squares with the same area as given polygons. To make the poem work I had to omit some of the details of the constructions, and a few people have asked for more information about how they work. There is…

  • (Not) Squaring the Circle: Explained – Part 1

    (Not) Squaring the Circle: Explained – Part 1

    For MathsJam 2019 I wrote a poem, (Not) Squaring the Circle, which features the construction of squares with the same area as given polygons. To make the poem work I had to omit some of the details of the constructions, and a few people have asked for more information about how they work. So here…

  • Fold-and-Cut Christmas Tree

    This time last year, The Aperiodical featured the fold-and-cut Christmas tree I designed in their Aperiodvent calendar. I designed it to use as a Christmas card. Print out the PDF, write a message on the tree, or decorate it if you like, then fold it following the dashed lines. When the recipient cuts along the…

  • (Not) Squaring the Circle

    (Not) Squaring the Circle

    So I had this circle, but I wanted a square Don’t ask why, that’s my affair The crucial aspect of this little game Is that the area should stay the same

  • Ruler Compass Animations

    It’s well known that you can’t use a ruler and compass to construct a square with the same area as a given circle. But did you know that you can use a ruler and compass to construct a square with the same area as a given rectangle? Or triangle? Or other polygon?