Atoms in periodic table of shapes

Read more:
http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/nstv/2011/02/geometric-atoms-form-periodic-...

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• atoms
• New Scientist
• periodic table
• shapes

[Spoonergasm]

wait, what?

[outlawkelb]

is it just me or this audience on this channal is more ignorant than expected? i mean its a science and technology channel, one would expect some mature people.

[mrdavetail]

@outlawkelb you're looking for ted.com. YouTube is a soapbox for orangutans.

[ohwhererehwho]

Fascinating. These 3D shapes, derived from 102 unique wave functions, allow for modular constructs of larger forms (molecules), through harmonics of goodness of fit (variably pliable Legos). Personally, I view them as "Not Knot Knots" of spacetime. It's the curvature that gives us, in part, the E/C^2.

[Ryat51]

@IX0o0XI I'm a bit late, but they are showing you how the different shapes relate to one another by showing the changes that can be made to get from one shape to another. It's related to how they are going to organize them all. Also, they are 2-D Representations of 3-D Sections of 4-D objects, specifically the animation of the transition between the shapes. The important thing is the 3-D objects really. I'd like to see where you get 5-D from.  :/

[squeehunter]

@outlawkelb I have a big pernis

[IX0o0XI]

Right... 3D shapes...

These are 4 and 5D shapes.. -_-

[SpaceMasterRahel]

COOOOOOOLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:3

[Reuben961]

I dont understand how the smalles building blocks has a smooth surface if pi goes on forever :S

[paulhallart]

@ImMichaelTaylor indeed. that therefore means that there must be more things taking shape than meet the eye!  not only are these shape atoms minimal in forms but also it seems mere nanometers in girth. perhaps such things a string theory and such.

[ImMichaelTaylor]

@paulhallart I'm not sure results would be much use for ordinary 3d design at the human scale. I got the impression they were aiming more at the dimensions that are too small for us to see, such as some areas of theoretical physics deal with.

[paulhallart]

@ImMichaelTaylor so then by the distillation of the morphistic shape into these minimizations described as their "atoms" one must assume they might be able to take things a bit further into the less imaginative aspect of functionality towards practicality and be able to form of them sort of "molecules" as it were in which they might be taken through their more complex aspects to achieve uses in such things as architecture, metallurgy, re-entry vehicles and so on.