Resources

Dodecahedron Day is about exposing students to the magical world of polyhedra. I can still remember building my first model, a white icosahedron with orange triangles connecting the midpoints of the faces, in Mrs. Kilbert's algebra class.

It's immensely satisfying to build a model you can hold and look at over and over again. Students should create for themselves. Please do not set up contests centered around Dodecahedron Day. Rather, encourage creating models for the fun of it.

• Elaine Young's lesson plan on Euler's formula.
• The NCTM's lesson plans for polyhedra.
• Jeff Tupper's excellent die-cast models of polyhedra.
• Have your school buy Robert Webb's Great Stella program.
• See other links in the "People" section.

• Polyhedron Models by Magnus J. Wenninger. The classic book for building models of polyhedra. Many nets for these models appear on the "Nets" page. Cambridge University Press, 1971. ISBN: 0-521-09859-9.


• Spherical Models by Magnus J. Wenninger. The classic book for building spherical (geodesic) models of polyhedra. Many nets for these models appear on the "Nets" page. Dover reprint.


• Regular Polytopes by H. S. M. Coxeter. Another classic, but mathematically intense. Covers coordinates, symmetries, and higher dimensions. Dover reprint, 1973. ISBN: 0-486-61480-8.


• The Geometrical Foundation of Natural Structure by Robert Williams. Wonderful sourcebook for structures based on polyhedra. (The net for the rhombic dodecahedron is from this book.) Dover reprint, 1979. ISBN: 0-486-23729-X.
  
  
• Polyhedra and Geodesic Structures by Vincent J. Matsko. In progress. An intermediate text discussing the design of geodesic structures using only basic trigonometry. Draft chapters are used for a geometry course at Quincy University and a problem-solving course at Quincy High School. Available from the author.
  
  
• See also George Hart's annotated bibliography.

• Vladimir Bulatov. His stellation applet allows students to design their own models.
• George Hart. His encyclopedia of virtual polyhedra is a great resource.
• Vincent J. Matsko. Author of the Dodecahedron Day web pages.
• Magnus J. Wenninger. Fr. Magnus has reputedly built more geometric models than anyone else in the world.

• Dodecahedron Day 2004 at Baldwin Intermediate School.