¶ Basic Nestable Configurations: Hierarchy Of
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Index Entry
“There are three basic nestable possibilities shown in Fig. C. They are (1) the regular tetrahedron of four spheres; (2) the one-eighth octahedron of seven spheres; and (3) the quarter tetrahedron, with a 16th sphere nesting on a planar layer of 15 spheres. Note That this ‘nesting’ is only possible on triangular arrays that have no sphere at their respective centroids. This series is a prime hierarchy. One sphere on three is the first possibility with a central nest available. One sphere on six is the next possibility with an empty central nest available. One sphere on 10 is impossible as a ball is already occupying the geometrical center. The next possibility is one on 15 with a central empty nest available.”
