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Symmetry can be tricky, especially when you’re a chemist. Grab some plasticine and discover why a mirror doesn’t always make a perfect copy.

In this crafty maths activity, you’ll get to make a decoration in the shape of an octadehron.

Chemical formulas, such as H2O (water) and CO2 (carbon dioxide), are handy as they identify which atoms are present in a chemical compound. This can in turn help to make predictions about their properties. But only knowing which atoms make up a compound sometimes isn’t enough. It helps to know how the atoms are arranged.

Imagine a flat spiral, similar to a snail’s shell, coming closer and closer to a point. Now imagine more spiral lines, all centred on the same point. This shape looks like the clouds over a cyclone, or a whirling galaxy.