I suppose that it could be strictly circular if the band around the smaller table isn't of fixed thickness, so that it can hide the larger radius pieces within itself. If the smaller circular band is of constant thickness, then there will be gaps in the table top where the radii don't match. I single-stepped the movies to try to see the smaller circular band better, but the movie appears to jump discontinuously at just the right moment -- perhaps to hide the shape of the smaller circular band from potential copiers. At 07:43 AM 12/11/2006, greenwald@cis.upenn.edu wrote:
Mon, 11 Dec 2006 07:32:25 -0800 Henry Baker <hbaker1@pipeline.com>
Very cool, but not strictly circular.
Why not? Doesn't the ring that encircles the table when it is in compressed mode make it strictly circular? (The outside of the ring appears to be a circle with the 6-person radius. The inside of the ring could be an inscribed "hexagon" with arcs (with the 12-person radius) instead of lines. When the table is expanded, the outer edges of the inner pie-wedges/segments join to form a circle.)
At 07:58 PM 12/10/2006, Ed Pegg Jr wrote:
A nifty circular table based on dissections is available. With a spin, it becomes a table twice as large as before. The mechanism is beautiful.
Fletcher Capstan Tables http://www.dbfletcher.com/capstan/
--Ed Pegg Jr