PolygonFlux

Description

PolygonFlux lets you experience the flow of energy inside a polygon. In simplest terms, it traces the path of a point bouncing around inside a polygon of your choice, generating a pretty pattern.

You control the starting direction of the point. The path it travels is displayed instantly. The path is determined by the Law of Reflection -- "The angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence" meaning that the point bounces off a side at the same angle it came in on, just like a billiard ball deflects off a bumper on a pool table, or a light ray reflects off a mirror.

You can choose a triangle, square, pentagon, hexagon, or polygon with up to 14 sides! You can choose from a dozen themes for the lines that trace the path of the point. You can add your "fluxagons" to a scrollable album for later experimentation, send them in Mail, or save them in Photos to use like any other image.

PolygonFlux is based on "Polygonal Billiards", an active area of geometric research. We hope it will be used by teachers to demonstrate, and by students to explore.

PolygonFlux can be used just for fun to explore the esthetic variation of patterns created by lines, colors, and shadows.

PolygonFlux dynamically and gracefully combines Art, Science, and Technology.

REVIEWS

"I love it. It's just a beautiful toy, but one of those I might use more than one time. I believe this one does not easily get boring. One really needs to use the real app, no screenshot can carry the feeling of changing the position of the spot and the sudden changes in shape of the resulting structure. I find this app especially appealing because it's so minimalistic, but still full of features." -- Friedrich Romstedt