The Mathematics of Lego | Hacker News Reader

The Mathematics of Lego

wired.com

35 pointsrobg9 comments

If anyone is interested I have access to this kind of data (via Rebrickable.com) so can redo these calculations using more recent sets.

Interesting argument, and from my experience seems to hold true. The only counterexample I can think of is the Taj Mahal: http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=10189-1

This is why I always enjoyed getting larger sets, especially technic sets, as they always had rare pieces that were extremely useful for a specific function. For example, the shifter gate piece in the original supercar set: http://www.peeron.com/inv/parts/6543

I always thought very specific pieces like that weren't really in the spirit of Lego.

I don't know. I think a good selection of different pieces vastly expands your options. Some of the coolest models are the ones that use weird pieces in clever ways--my favorite example was an Audi R8 that used white rope pieces (very specialized) for the front LED lights.

Taj Mahal doesn't seem like a strong counter-example, in that although it seems to have many non-standard lego pieces, it still has a high pieces per type value (or as the author described it, few types per piece).

I thought it would be closer to that http://www.clear.rice.edu/elec201/Book/legos.html

there was a nice website tracing history of bricks dimensions but I can't find it for the moment.

Did I read it too fast or this article is a necklace of tautological pearls?

There is some real data, but it does look like a case of research confirming common sense. Anyway, it make sense once you see it, but I probably wouldn't have thought of it myself. I enjoyed it.

I think the key point is not that the number of piece type increases with number of overall pieces, but rather the nature of the relationship (sub-linear in log-log space) meaning that while number of distinct component types increases with number of components, it does less so the more components there are. In other words there is a sort of economy of scale. C.f. similar results in biological and municipal networks due to Geoff West et al (sorry for lack of citation; typing this on my phone). I get the sense this work is related to West's.

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