Building with Blocks: Enumerating Polyforms on Tilings

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Authors: Bert Dobbelaere, Peter Kagey, Drake Thomas, Andrés R. Vindas-Meléndez
Cited by: 0

Abstract

In areas as diverse as contemporary art, play structures, climbing equipment, and modular construction toys, we see the presence of building block-like polyhedral complexes, which are generalizations of the pieces in the game Tetris. We give an algorithm for counting the number of $n$-celled structures on polygonal and polyhedral cells of certain periodic two- and three-dimensional tilings; moreover, we count these structures up to translations, rotations, and reflections of the tiling. We describe this algorithm with respect to structures in the snub square tiling, provide numerical data related to existing three-dimensional art and structures, and suggest puzzles based on these constructions.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Advanced Combinatorial Mathematics Mathematics and Applications Digital Image Processing Techniques

Publication details

Journal / source
arXiv (Cornell University)
Publication date
26 February 2026
Language
EN
Document type
Preprint