DNA-Like Double Helix Of R60 Mini Spheres | Tutorial | 2520+ Neodymium Magnetic Balls @ledwatchman

Uploaded February 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago

How to build a large molecular structure that resembles a strand of double helix DNA from neodymium magnetic balls.
This molecule is made entirely from a simple repeating pattern of interconnected mini spheres of 60 magnetic balls each that I call R60 spheres, because they each have the same structure as a small Rhombicosidodecahedron - 12 pentagonal, 20 triangular and 30 square faces on each little sphere.
All connections on this build are either between interlocked pentagonal rings of 5 balls on 2 spheres of different polarity, or between square faces of 4 balls on 2 spheres of identical polarity.
The coloured triangles of 3 balls on each sphere simply indicate which polarity (direction of winding during construction) the sphere was built with: yellow gold indicates 1 polarity and rose gold indicates the other. As you can see in the video the double helix pattern is formed by an alternating polarity structure of a subunit of 6 R60 mini spheres each. Every rung in the helix is structurally identical, but every 2nd rung is made with each polarity in the spheres forming the subunit reversed from the previous rung in the twisted ladder design, as indicated by the 2 different coloured triangles, to help you see for yourself the pattern required. A chain of 7 of the 6-sphere subunits completes a 360° rotation of the double helix, therefore every rung in the helix rotates it by 60° from the previous rung. This requires 7 × 6 × 60 = 2520 magnetic balls. The double helix built in this video is rotating from left to right looking down the length of it forming a right handed helix, similar to most real DNA.
The large completed structure on the glass turntable is made from 13 rungs which completes 2 rotations or 720° of the double helix.
A total magnet count for this large strand of 13 × 6 × 60 + 2 × 60 (2 extra mini spheres for symmetry at both ends) = 80 R60 mini spheres and 4800 magnetic balls.

#ledwatchman #Neocube #Neoballs #Nanodots #ZenMagnets #Speks #Buckyballs #NingoBalls #CyberCube #KlikyBalls #howto

Music track is Virtues Inherited, Vices Passed On by Chris Zabriskie, from the YouTube copyright free music library.

Virtues Inherited, Vices Passed On by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Source: chriszabriskie.com/reappear

Artist: chriszabriskie.com

DNA-Like Double Helix Of R60 Mini Spheres | Tutorial | 2520+ Neodymium Magnetic Balls

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