Five shapes in nature that have equal angles and edge lengths - OKC, OK - Outdoor Interactive Science Displays on Waymarking.com

A new art installation titled Finity is a visual illustration of the five shapes in nature that have equal angles and edge lengths. The piece, titled finity, is interactive and you are encourage to touch and examine it. It is 25 feet tall, and made of mirrored stainless steel. The steel is highly reflective, making for a fascinating view of the surrounding area thru the five polyhedrons.

Text on plaque:

Tom Shannon
(American, b. 1947)

Finity
Mirrored Stainless Steel
Tom Shannon 2020

Science Museum Oklahoma
Loan from the Kirkpatrick Family Fund

Text on second plaque:

Finity. A finite set.
The five polyhedrons displayed in this unique sculpture represent the only shapes in nature that have equal angles and edge lengths. Some consider these five regular shapes to be the key in the development of geometry and mathematics, the disciplines that underlie all of Western science.

What better symbol to welcome visitors to Science Museum Oklahoma?

Tom Shannon was commissioned by the Kirkpatrick Family Fund to create this sculpture for Science Museum Oklahoma. Finity, an interactive, hands-on sculpture featuring five spinning polyhedrons, stands 25 feet tall and is being loaned to the Museum to honor its founder John E. Kirkpatrick.

Greek philosopher Plato connected the five polyhedrons that make up the sculpture - the cube, octahedron, icosahedron, tetrahedron, and dodecahedron - to the five classical elements of his time:

Tetrahedron - fire
Octahedron - air
Cube - earth
Icosahedron - water
Dodecahedron - cosmos

The title, Finity, refers to the fact that one can mathematically prove that these five shapes are the only ones nature allows to have equal angles and edge lengths. It is a finite set.

Scientific Principle(s) being demonstrated: The sculpture Finity shows that there are five shapes in nature that have equal angles and side lengths. By moving the sculpture, you can examine these polyhedrons in more depth, looking at each one from a different angle. Briefly explain if the experiment was effective for you. Could it have been better?: This is a wonderful science display! I had no idea there were only five shapes that meet this criteria. Not only is the sculpture composed of these five shapes, but it's interactive and allows visitors to touch and examine them and move them. When is the apparatus/experiment available to the public: It is available approximately 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily.

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