Piet Hein was asked to solve a traffic problem of Sergel’s torg in Stockholm. The mathematical equation of the super-ellipse (invented by Gabriel Lamé, 1818) solved the problem.
In 1965, he created this form in a 3D version : "the super egg" or "the super-ellipsoid", an oblong object, free of any flat surfaces that will stand perfectly on end, no matter how big, small or heavy the object (or how many are stacked on one another).
Sergel's torg, Stockholm
Super egg equation :
where a is the horizontal radius at the "equator" (the widest part), and b is one half of the height.
The exponent p determines the degree of flattening at the tips and equator.
Super egg design ranges from home design and practical products to sculpture and architecture.
