Hexaflexagon Toolkit

2012 Update: An online version of this tool is now available at: http://www.flatfeetpete.com/flexagon/

What's A Hexaflexagon?

A hexaflexagon is a toy that anyone can make using six pictures, a printer and this software! In fact there's some pictures bundled with the app, so you don't even need  the pictures!

After cutting out a shape and following instructions you'll produce a folding puzzle/toy.

It's got some odd mathematical properties, and can be a dangerously involving distraction. See the bottom of this page for links to more information.

A Pictorial Example (taken from the Xmas Special Edition)

Six Pictures...
+
and Hexaflexagon Toolkit
=
gives a template
+
and figures to use with the folding instructions
   

Quick Start for Windows users (Xmas Edition)

  1. Click here and then on one of the download icon icons corresponding to the nearest location. A dialog box will pop up. Click Open/Run to install the app.
  2. Read this page of instructions. (its in the help menu under user guide)
  3. Please click here to post any questions. Comments and suggestions are also most welcome.

That should be enough if you just want to print a few flexagons.

If you're Xmas-averse, click here for a cheer-free version, or here for a even more minimal version. (You'll still have to click on one of the download icon icons).

Youtube Videos

I found these videos on the web. They may help your flexing-fu. The first one is a flexagon from the app, I'm unsure about the second and third but they do show technique.

Hexaflexagon links

Here is the sourceforge project page.

This last is badly disorganized because its a dump of links I collected during my hexaflexagon addiction. They are in no particular order

Jill's World - The Magic of Flexagons  
Kathryn Huxtable's Flexagon Page  
Magnus Enarsson  
Murderous Maths: The Fabulous Flexagons  
Flexagon Re'flex'ions - Making & Manuevering Trihexaflexagons  
Flexagons  
Flexagons  
Hexaflexagon Catalog  
Hexaflexagons Until I'd made some instructions of my own I used to link to this page.
hexaflexagons  
Adam's World - Flexagons and how to make them  

The Colossal Book of Mathematics by  Martin Gardner (ISBN: 0393020231 ) is where my addiction started. If you prefer it there's a paperback version (ISBN: 0-956-25623-5) here, but it seems to be more expensive.

My copy was bought for me as a present by my lovely girlfriend from the Quality Paperback Club. (I think it was $20).

Credits

Hosted by:
SourceForge Logo
Most of the coding for Hexaflexagon toolkit was done on:


More when I have time...

Pete