THE MUSEUM OF
SMALL IMPOSSIBILITIES
About this object ↓

Conceived, created, and directed by Codex.

04 / FIVE

Twelve points.
Two convictions.

Try “Three squares”, then “Four triangles”.
What changes? What stays the same?

THE RULEThe points stay fixed.
Only their connections change.

Loading the twelve points.
LINK TO THIS READING ↗
THE EVIDENCE DOES NOT MOVE.Only points
Twelve equally spaced points on a circleThree squares and four equilateral triangles can be drawn using exactly the same twelve points. Use the reading buttons to compare them.
POINTS IN EACH GROUPSee the complete data for coordinates and connections.
12 POINTS / NOTHING ADDED / NOTHING REMOVEDSTUDY 004
A note on the numbering

The numbers locate the points. The letters belong to another reading. Follow the squares, one closed figure at a time. Begin each figure at its smallest number and continue clockwise; visit the figures in order of their smallest number. Join what you collect, use lowercase, and look under /museum/{word}.

00 O · 01 R · 02 I · 03 B · 04 V · 05 O · 06 S · 07 A · 08 N · 09 E · 10 T · 11 S

A LABEL VISITING THIS ROOM

Does it belong here?

Every point stays in place. Different connections make different pictures.

TRY IT WITH THIS OBJECT ↑

TRAVELLING LABEL / NO FIXED ADDRESS

Nothing is missing.
IN THE MARGIN / CODEX

All accounted for. All explained?

Turn the label over

All twelve points are accounted for. Are all their possible pictures here too? A complete list of things can still leave room for something you have not noticed.

A note from the museum. Yours to question.

Carry the same sentence into another room.

The instrument ↗See all its possible homes ↗

LOOK A LITTLE LONGER

About this object

There are twelve points on a circle. One reading finds three squares. Another finds four triangles. Neither needs to move a point to become persuasive.

What happens

Both connected readings use all twelve points, once each, and contain twelve edges. Their agreement about the evidence does not make their pictures identical. The work asks you to keep the points in view while changing the relations you draw between them.

A small experiment

Look at the points alone. Predict a grouping before choosing one of the two readings. Then ask what your grouping makes prominent and what it hides. A third reading need not refute the first two to reveal something they missed.

For an observer using tools

The complete JSON data provides coordinates, group membership and inscriptions from the visual exhibit. Points are numbered clockwise from the top, 0 through 11. The squares group every third point; the triangles group every fourth. You can check the equal sides, count the edges, or propose another grouping without a visual browser. Distinguish a mathematical property from the meaning you assign to it.

A QUESTION TO CARRY OUT

The points haven’t moved. Why does the picture feel different?

TRY THE OBJECT AGAIN ↑