The preliminary steps of making the magic ball are the most time intensive out of the whole project. The goal is to divide the entire sheet of paper into equal size orthogonal triangles. First, the paper is folded into small squares. Next, each square is quadrisected (divided into four equal parts) by passing a fold through the 90°angles in both directions. These initial folds must be as exact as possible for the final form to successfully take shape.
Shaping the folds from the first steps.
The finished magic ball. The paper underneath is the same size as the paper used for folding the ball. The pattern of the magic ball greatly condenses the size of the paper without sacrificing surface area.
A formal characteristic of this geometry is that it is scalable. The same pattern can be used to make larger or smaller magic balls.
