Customer Reviews

Sliceforms: Mathematical Models from Paper Sections

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I picked up _Sliceforms_ in England, and got it home without much ado. However, on a bored Saturday night in October, I constructed my first Sliceform. The "slices" are extremely detailed templates, and cutting has to be exact, but when I completed the 'Form by sliding the cuts onto one another, I was amazed and perplexed. This three-dimensional shape can be folded onto itself in a synesthetically pleasing way. I carry my Sliceform with me whenever I sense I might get bored -- or need a handy conversation-starter! _Sliceforms_ is pretty easy to understand and a great joy to experience, especially if one is as detail-oriented as I. The only drawback is the less-than stellar explanations if you're not hugely geometrically inclined.

I've been waiting a long time to find this perpetually "out of stock" book at a reasonable price. Upon finally finding it, I'm somewhat disappointed although it's really my own fault.

I had hoped for some detailed explanations, help, and tips on creating my own sliceforms and/or some more complex models than what I could find on the web.

What the book contains is:

- One page of "What Are Sliceforms?" which presumably you already know if you're looking to buy this book
- One page of instructions on how to cut out and make the models in the book
- Three very general pages on creating your own sliceforms
- Eight printed simple models to cut out (they aren't scored, by the way, so you can punch them out)and assemble, some of which are the same or very similar to ones already available for free with a little Internet searching.

Very light on details and explanations, and only very small photos of the assembled models.

Like I said, this is somewhat my fault though as I neglected to notice that the "book" (more of a pamphlet, really) only has 36 pages total.

I think this would be a fun little project for kids or for those who just want to create some simple models for the first time. But rather disappointing and not terribly useful for anyone who already knows what sliceforms are or if you've already built a couple of models.

John Sharp has written a very interesting book in my opinion. I also bought his Surfaces book for more detailed information. People who see the sliceforms I have made are amazed! Everyone loves them and they are conversation starters as was mentioned earlier in these reviews. Math teachers in my daughter's school have them on their desks. I also put a display up in our local library that brought quite a bit of interest. (As a side note, another of the earlier "reviewers" of John Sharp's book, this H.A. Verbeek guy is only trying to sell his software...I see his comments on virtually every sliceform sight I have been on.) I have enjoyed making all of these designs immensely and hope to complete them all.