flexatube

English

Etymology

From flexible tube.

Noun

flexatube (plural flexatubes)

1. A folded paper puzzle created by connecting the ends of a strip of four squares, each folded along 45-degree diagonals. The solver is challenged to turn the structure inside out using only foldings.
   • 1958, Scientific American - Volume 198, page 126:

     At least two other completely different methods of turning the flexatube inside out are known, and both are as devious and difficult to discover as this one.

   • 1991, Theoni Pappas, More Joy of Mathematics: Exploring Mathematics All Around You:

     In the course of studying flexagons, Stone invented some fascinating objects, one of which was the tetra flexatube.

   • 2000, Mental math challenges, →ISBN, page 22:

     To create a different color for the inside of the flexatube: If using cardboard, glue two different colors together, back to back, before cutting squares into quarters

See also

• flexagon