Monday, July 10, 2017

Orderly 2-color 3x2 Z's




An orderly vertex for 2-color 3x2 Z's.



The center of an orderly 2-color Z must be a center of rotational symmetry for both colors.
In a Z consisting of a two-color 2-ply, the coloring needs to be identical at both bends, therefore the center of the middle section must be a center of rotational symmetry for both colors. That condition requires a 'stacked' configuration with one favored color lying directly atop the other when viewed from the 'z' side.

If there is a desired phase relationship between the minor and major helices at the vertex, the frequency ratio must produce this phase difference in the distance between the center and the vertex. In the current design, that distance is 1.0 wavelength (from top to top) + 0.5 wavelength (from top to bottom) + 0.25 wavelength (from bottom to half-way). So an integral number of half-twists must be completed in 1.75 major wavelengths. The pictured model completes two full twists in each major wavelength, so 1.75 x 2 x 2 = 7 half twists, satisfying the condition, but solutions with 6 or 8 might also be useable.

In the top image above, a relatively tight structure shows the two colors also lying 'stacked' at the center of the vertex bend.




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