A Gömböc is a strange thing. It looks like an egg with sharp edges, and when you put it down it starts rolling around with an apparent will of its own. Until quite recently, no-one knew whether Gömböcs even existed. Even now, Gábor Domokos, one of their discoverers, reckons that in some sense they barely exists at all. So what are Gömböcs, what makes them special and what do they have to do with tortoises?

Read this article to find out, and to learn about the amazing mathematical journey that resulted in the Gömböc.

This article was inspired by content on Wild Maths, which encourages students to explore maths beyond the classroom and is designed to nurture mathematical creativity. The site is aimed at 7 to 16 year-olds, but open to all. It provides games, investigations, stories and spaces to explore, where discoveries are to be made. Some have starting points, some a big question and others offer you a free space to investigate.

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