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Outside In

ssgelmCited 3× on HN, 2021–2025
YouTube
explainer · general · evergreen · 2021–2025 on HN

A 21-minute animation showing how a sphere can be turned inside out without creases or tears, known as sphere eversion.

Linked as a classic visualization when sphere eversion or counterintuitive mathematics comes up.

3 comments from Hacker News

@gosub1002025-01 · in “Mathematicians discover new way for spheres to 'kiss'”

Sort of a tangent, but here's a 20m video explaining how to invert a sphere without tearing it: ▶ this video

@ykonstant2022-04 · in “Life’s preference for symmetry is like ‘a new law of nature’”

Here are two classic youtube videos on the topic of sphere eversion; they mostly overlap, but I am posting both for double the hilarity in the comment sections :) (the full 21 minute one) ▶ this video (the first 10 minutes) link If I remember correctly, I think the 10 minute one has the more hilarious comment section.

@st_goliath2021-10 · in “Conterintuitive facts in mathematics, CS, and physics”

> 19. Given a solid ball in 3‑dimensional space, there exists a decomposition of the ball into a finite number of disjoint subsets, which can then be put back together in a different way to yield two identical copies of the original ball. While you're at it, you can completely turn that sphere inside out without creating any holes or creases[1]. [1] ▶ this video