Spirograph Jr.

Product Information

Remember Spirograph? With a little practise you can create beautiful geometric patterns and artwork – and there are more sets than ever before to choose from! Spirograph has endeared itself over the generations, and it is still as popular today as it ever was. We love this toy – and in this article, we take you through all the official Spirograph sets that are in production today. There are lots of other brands, so this article only lists the original. If you’d like to hear me chatting through some of this with Peter, you can listen to our Mathematical Objects podcast on the spirograph. His company, Denys Fisher Toys, was sold to Palitoy in 1970 which was then bought by Hasbro . Through the 1980s and 1990s, Fisher continued to work with Hasbro in developing new toys and refining Spirograph. It has since been sold by Kahootz toys, and most recently, Playmonster.

Spirograph Deluxe Set – PlayMonster UK Spirograph Deluxe Set – PlayMonster UK

Spirograph sets come with at least one pen; some sets include two or three. By using the pens included with the set, you’re assured that they will fit in the wheel holes. However, you can use any pen or pencil that fits in the wheel hole, whether it came with the set or not. While many will have played with it and produced some interesting patterns, and presumably also had a vague sense that some maths is happening, I suspect many won’t have thought about it too hard. I certainly didn’t, until recently when someone gave me a mini-Spirograph kit as a gift. This inspired me to dig a little deeper into how this thing works, and what kind of shapes you can make with it. Looping the loop Now define the new (relative) system of coordinates ( X ′ , Y ′ ) {\displaystyle (X',Y')} with its origin at the center of C i {\displaystyle C_{i}} and its axes parallel to X {\displaystyle X} and Y {\displaystyle Y} . Let the parameter t {\displaystyle t} be the angle by which the tangent point T {\displaystyle T} rotates on C o {\displaystyle C_{o}} , and t ′ {\displaystyle t'} be the angle by which C i {\displaystyle C_{i}} rotates (i.e. by which B {\displaystyle B} travels) in the relative system of coordinates. Because there is no slipping, the distances traveled by B {\displaystyle B} and T {\displaystyle T} along their respective circles must be the same, thereforeIn its simplest form, Spirograph consists of a circle moving around inside another circle. This means its motion can be predicted, and the line you get will, or may, depend on a few factors: If you’re not familiar, the apparatus involves a plastic cog, placed inside a circular hole with teeth, which has holes in it to place a pen/pencil through. Placing a pen in one of the holes and moving it around allows you to draw interesting patterns – the teeth of the circle and teeth on the cog will mesh to make the circle move and turn at the same time, and with the right pressure applied in the right direction, you can roll it around the inside of the circle, making interesting shapes. It is convenient to represent the equation above in terms of the radius R {\displaystyle R} of C o {\displaystyle C_{o}} and dimensionless The kit features a high quality, durable carrying case with snap-in storage and a built-in drawing surface. The precision engineered Spirograph® gears work with the 3 design pens included in the set as well as with most standard pens, felt tips and pencils. This would result in a spirograph drawing that was just a single circle, centred at the centre of the big hole. The radius of this circle would be the radius of the big hole minus the radius of the cog, as the pen-hole stays a fixed distance away from the outside edge of the big hole.

Spirograph Junior Design Set | Hobbycraft

In 2013 the Spirograph brand was re-launched worldwide, with the original gears and wheels, by Kahootz Toys. The modern products use removable putty in place of pins to hold the stationary pieces in place. The Spirograph was Toy of the Year in 1967, and Toy of the Year finalist, in two categories, in 2014. Kahootz Toys was acquired by PlayMonster LLC in 2019. [8] Operation [ edit ] Animation of a Spirograph Several Spirograph designs drawn with a Spirograph set using several different-colored pens Closeup of a Spirograph wheel A wheel must be placed inside a stationary plate or ring for designs to be drawn. Each plate needs to be held in place with Spiro-putty, magnets, or pins. Sets come with one of these three options (except for travel sets, which have a plate built into the lid). In your final illustration, I believe your 52- and 60-tooth patterns are swapped if the outer gear is the same throughout. Reply While I can’t pinpoint exactly who invented the Spirograph, I found out about spiral drawing devices as the inspiration behind the toy. Popular in the late 18th century, these spiral devices used a rotating pencil to create spiralling patterns. Although they don’t look like a Spirograph and weren’t as popular, they were the first device to ever use a worm to create line patterns.

Patterns can be made using both hands, though it may take some practice. If you really want to be creative, try drawing a single picture with the help of another person. You can get several wheels going around the same plate to make something truly unique. Spirograph set size and portability From The Boy Mechanic (1913) - A Wondergraph". marcdatabase.com. 2004. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011 . Retrieved 17 July 2011. Includes: 10 piece travel version of Spirograph with built-in design ring, work surface and storage, 2 pens, 6 wheels, travel-sized paper sheets and details guide Spirograph was one of those toys that as a kid you either loved or were scared of. The clever contraption has been inspiring artists for more than two centuries, with the first Spirograph set appearing in the early 19th century. The word “Spirograph” comes from the Greek words “Spiros” and “grapho”, meaning “propeller” and “to write” respectively. The kit features a high quality, durable carrying case with snap-in storage and a built-in drawing surface. The precision engineered Spirograph gears work with the 3 design pens included in the set as well as with most standard pens, felt tips and pencils. Spirograph putty holds pieces securely on the paper so that you can create intricately beautiful designs with no holes!

The Mathematics of Spirograph | The Aperiodical The Mathematics of Spirograph | The Aperiodical

There is also the curve generated from taking two small cogs and running one round the other, generating an epicycloid or epitrochoid. To create designs, wheels are placed either within or along the outside of the plate or ring. Plates and rings have teeth on the outside and inside edge. Consequently, wheels can be used on either side. Plates and rings are held in place using Spiro-putty, magnets, or pins.A Spirograph is a geometric drawing toy that originates from the Victorian era. Mathematician Bruno Abdank-Abakanowicz first invented the Spirograph sometime between 1881 and 1900, as a way of drawing spirals. But the Spirograph that we know and love today, was developed by engineer Denys Fisher in the mid-sixties, and was advertised as a way to draw “a million marvellous patterns”. Which, given the number of combinations possible, isn’t far from the truth! How does a Spirograph work? Now, use the relation between t {\displaystyle t} and t ′ {\displaystyle t'} as derived above to obtain equations describing the trajectory of point A {\displaystyle A} in terms of a single parameter t {\displaystyle t} : or purse and store everything you need, though you’d need to replace the paper often. These are by far the most portable sets, but even large Spirograph sets are designed with portability in mind. They come with a carrying case in which to store wheels, pens, and paper so you can make art anywhere. Spirograph set features

Spirograph Deluxe Set | Smyths Toys UK

The original US-released Spirograph consisted of two differently sized plastic rings (or stators), with gear teeth on both the inside and outside of their circumferences. Once either of these rings were held in place (either by pins, with an adhesive, or by hand) any of several provided gearwheels (or rotors)—each having holes for a ballpoint pen—could be spun around the ring to draw geometric shapes. Later, the Super-Spirograph introduced additional shapes such as rings, triangles, and straight bars. All edges of each piece have teeth to engage any other piece; smaller gears fit inside the larger rings, but they also can rotate along the rings' outside edge or even around each other. Gears can be combined in many different arrangements. Sets often included variously colored pens, which could enhance a design by switching colors, as seen in the examples shown here.Jumbo-sized pieces make creating Spirograph art fun and easy for little hands, and an easy-to-carry drawing tablet doubles as a workstation and handy storage case to keep everything neat. The set includes easy-to-use gears, felt tip pens, paper and a handy instruction guide. x = x c + x ′ = ( R − r ) cos ⁡ t + ρ cos ⁡ t ′ , y = y c + y ′ = ( R − r ) sin ⁡ t + ρ sin ⁡ t ′ , {\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}x&=x_{c}+x'=(R-r)\cos t+\rho \cos t',\\y&=y_{c}+y'=(R-r)\sin t+\rho \sin t',\\\end{aligned}}}