EdStart Scutoid Geometrical Solid Pair

Description

EXCITING NEW GEOMETRIC SOLID DISCOVERED IN JULY 2018!
Introducing the new Scutoid manipulatives from EdStart! This super fun and inspiring new geometric solid was first discovered in July 2018 and is the latest object to join the geometric set. This pair of scutoids are perfect for any math, science, biology class, or for anyone that loves manipulatives and puzzles!
This is the first in a forthcoming series of scutioids from EdStart that explains the wonderful solution to three-dimensional packing of epithelia(the cells that line and protect organs such as the skin.) Included are two self packing scutoids that represent how the new geometrical shapes fit together.
From Wikipedia: The shapes, however odd, are the building blocks of multicellular organisms which complex life might never have emerged on Earth without it. A scutoid is a geometric solid between two parallel surfaces.
The boundary of each of the surfaces (and of all the other parallel surfaces between them) is a polygon, and the vertices of the two end polygons are joined by either a curve or a Y-shaped connection. Scutoids present at least one vertex between these two planes. Scutoids are not necessarily convex, and lateral faces are not necessarily planar, so several scutoids can pack together to fill all the space between the two parallel surfaces. They may be more generally described as a mix between a frustum and a prismatoid. The object was first described by Gómez-Gálvez et al. in a paper entitled Scutoids are a geometrical solution to three-dimensional packing of epithelia, and published in July 2018.[1] Officially, the name scutoid was coined because of its resemblance to the shape of the scutum and scutellum in some insects, such as beetles in the subfamily Cetoniinae.
Special thanks to Dr Lucie Refsland, Professor of Mathematics for her guidance and counsel with the development of this manipulative.