Zometool is a mathematically-precise plastic construction set for building a myriad of geometric structures, 从简单的多边形到柏拉图立体, 从DNA分子模型到测地线穹顶, 从四维人物的“阴影”到Art作品. 它也是一个极好的教育工具, as it facilitates mathematical discovery while unleashing creativity. This page provides a brief introduction and a growing collection of resources about Zometool. 欢迎评论、问题和建议! 请联系 Dr. 克里斯。希尔.
关于我的: 我是Zometool的狂热爱好者.k.a. a 佐莫). 我喜欢用它来做建筑，把它当作一种教学工具. I have run several Zometool workshops and "barn raisings" with middle school and 高中 students and am looking for opportunities to do more.
本节概述“Zometool”的工作原理." 然而, it is not necessary to know any of this information before using Zometool. Zometool非常用户友好.
Zometool has two types of pArts: round connector balls and color-coded struts. Each connector ball has 62 holes: 30 rectangular holes, 20 triangular holes, and 12 pentagonal holes. The colors of the struts indicate into which holes in the balls they will fit. 蓝色支柱可以插入矩形孔中, 黄色支柱正好插在三角形的洞里, and the red struts and green struts both fit into the pentagonal holes. 然而, a green strut features two bends which cause it to point in different directions than a red strut. 连接球允许在92个不同的方向上施工.
每种颜色的支柱有短，中，长尺寸. 红色支柱也有更短的“超短”尺寸. 对于每种颜色的支柱, the ratio between the lengths of one size of strut and the next smaller size (if there is one) is the 黄金比例，大约是1.618. (用于计算这些比率, the “length of a strut” is equal to the distance between the middle of the node at one end of the strut to the middle of the node at the other end.)这个事实的一个优雅的结果是，对于每一种颜色, the length of a long strut equals the length of a medium strut connected to a short strut. 简而言之，长等于中号加短号. 同样，用红色表示，中号等于短号加超短号.
Different types of struts are required for the construction of different types of structures. 例如，a 常规的十二面体 可以用同样大小的蓝色支柱来建造吗 菱形十二面体 用同样大小的黄色支柱，a 菱形triacontahedron 用同样大小的红色支柱，a 正四面体 用同样大小的绿色支柱, and more elaborate structures with combinations of strut types and sizes.
以便更容易地指定Projects的部件, 支柱输入“蓝色”,”“黄,”“红,和“green”缩写为“B”," "Y," "R,和“G”,支柱尺寸超短,”“短,”“中,和“长”表示为“00”," "0," "1,和2,”分别. 例如, 一个长长的蓝色支柱是B2, 一个中黄色的支柱是Y1, 一个短的绿色支柱是G0, 超短的红色支柱是R00.
2011年之前, Zometool提供蓝色, 黄色的, and red struts in a size 3 that was longer than size 2 by a factor of the 黄金比例. 根据上面关于黄金比例的评论, 在给定的颜色中, a size 3 strut has the same length as a size 2 strut connected to a size 1 strut. 然而，不幸的是，3号支柱已经停产了. 它们允许在更大的规模上建立简单的模型, and a few constructions (such as the compound of ten triangular prisms—see Projects(见下文).
Since the ratio between the lengths of one size of strut and the next smaller size is the same for all types of struts, 一个Zometool模型可以分别按比例缩放, down) by replacing each strut with the next larger size (respectively, 小尺寸), 假设存在尺寸支柱.