Vanishing Space Puzzle

thingiverse

This puzzle is from the classic book "Puzzles Old and New" by Jerry Slocum and Jack Botermans. There are 5 pieces made from 14 spheres. One can pack the box with all 5 pieces, or with only 4 pieces. In the second case the box still appears completely full, with no room for the additional sphere. Where did that extra space go? Two versions of this puzzle are included here. The original version uses spheres and the second uses rhombicuboctahedra (RCO). The same box can be used for either set of pieces. The sphere or RCO diameter is 2 cm. The puzzle seems quite different using spheres compared with RCO. Try both and see what you think. To make the RCO version, simply print one copy of each of the "RCO" pieces. No supports are needed. The base of several of the pieces are quite small, so you will need a perfectly adhered first layer. Also print a copy of the box and lid. To make the sphere version, print two copies of each "Sphere" half-piece. No supports are needed. These halves contain 2 mm diameter holes for alignment. These small holes can be tricky to print, you may want to slow down your first layer for these tiny holes. The holes are for alignment of the parts, and they are sized to insert a short piece of filament. To assemble the sphere version, first make sure each hole is clean and large enough. Then, insert a long piece of filament into a hole and cut it off so it sticks out about 3 mm. Test the pieces to make sure they go together. Finally superglue each piece together.