In the past few years, we have reviewed plenty of amazing desk toys here. Astrophysicist Kenneth Brecher is behind desk toys sold by Sirius Enigmas. These are mathematical tops that put on a trippy show as you give them a spin. The PhiTOP is built from an ellipse shaped by the golden ratio. It stands upright when you give it a hard enough spin. This metal egg is ideal for Tesla Egg of Columbus experiments.
The eTop is another mathematical top that can be spun like a coin. As he explains in his paper:
It can be spun like a coin. While spinning in its upright position, it presents a visible cross-section quite similar to that of the
upright spinning PhiTOP®! As it settles down, it gives rise to beautiful Lissajous figure like reflection
The PhoTOP is very different from the other two. It is easy to assemble and comes to life when you use a laser, thanks to phosphorescent paint on it. It comes with a flat 12cm disk and 2-part aluminum spindle. You will just need to use a UV/deep purple 405nm laser pointer to interact with it. In this video, we put all these 3 toys to the test.
