Tadashi Tokieda drops a small cedar ball into an empty soup bowl and begins swirling the bowl on a tabletop with his hand.
As the bowl moves in circles, so does the ball.
“It’s not that I knew a piece of science and designed a simple toy to illustrate; I find a raw phenomena … interesting to children and professional scientists alike. Professional scientists may find it even more interesting than a child would. … Children and great professors of Harvard University can share the surprise.” said Radcliffe Fellow Tadashi Tokieda.
Several years ago, Tokieda decided to use simple toys to demonstrate to family and friends the complex mathematical problems on which he works. As he searched for illuminating objects from everyday life, he came across surprising behavior — sometimes complex behavior — routinely exhibited by simple objects. Eventually, his search for objects with which to teach became a search for objects from which to learn.
To find new toys, Tokieda keeps his attitude playful and his eyes open. To date, Tokieda has collected, invented, and analyzed more than 100 “toys,”