We’ve come a long way in our learning aids in the last while, haven’t we? Up from Lincoln’s doing his lessons with a hunk of coal on the back of a shovel to animated periodic tables of elements that play songs by Tom Lehrer to boot! And speaking of the periodic table (see what I did there?), Roy Alexander–noting that the 2D periodic table is sometimes hard to follow, as it leaves related elements way way way far away from each other–has taken his pictorial periodic table and employed the magical third dimension, bringing said elements into closer congruence. Behold:
The big news in periodic tables this season is that finally, after years in the making, Roy Alexander, inventor of the Alexander Arrangement of the elements, has created a version of his 3D papercraft periodic table using my photographs of actual elements.With a bit of work and some scotch tape, it assembles into a 14″ high by 18″ wide triple-looped paper scrupture that sits very nicely on a table or teacher’s desk. You can even hang it by a thread: It’s a very strudy object.Traditional periodic tables have gaps between elements that should really be next to each other, for example beryllium (element 4) is far away from boron (element 5). There’s no good way to void this in a flat printed table, because the structure of the table is inherently hierarchical. Roy’s 3D arrangement uses loops into the third dimension to solve the problem.If you already have a regular periodic table and one of my photographic periodic tables, and a periodic table card deck, and my book The Elements, then this is definitely something you need. It’s the only available beautiful 3D photographic paper sculpture of the periodic table.To say this makes a perfect gift would be an understatement. Since it is brand new this year and not available anywhere else yet, you can be sure that your nephew who enjoys science, or your aunt who enjoys unusual tree toppers, does not have one of these yet. Definitley not.Please note that this item does require assembly: It took me about ten minutes to figure it out (I don’t read instructures). Roy has provided a video illustrating how to put it together, so you might be able to do it quicker.I encourage you to look at the new 3D periodic table, and all our other periodic table products on my website:
Sound interesting? Surf on over and check it out and if you do, be sure to let us know what you think below!
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