Pi to Infinity !

I made an infinity mirror shaped like the symbol for Pi to visualize what an irrational number feels like. When I was a kid, I tried to memorize the digits of Pi. I made some progress with that, but quickly learned that it was impossible because it never ends. I built this infinity mirror to show that feeling. Because the digits of Pi go on forever without ever repeating, I wanted to create a physical object that looks like it goes on forever, too. It was a perfect visual metaphor for its never-ending nature.

1. LED strip
2. Flexible Mirror
3. Transparent Board
4. Window Film One Way Mirror
5. Any cutting tool that works (I used a utility knife...bad idea)
6. Drill

The first step was to create a 3D model of the Pi symbol. I needed to design a frame that was precise enough to hold the mirror and LED strip perfectly. The model I made in Inventor served as the blueprint for the entire project, ensuring the Pi shape would look clean.

Dimensions: 4.5" x 4.0" x 0.75"

With the 3D-printed frame ready, the next step was to integrate the reflective surfaces. This step required cutting the mirror to fit the unique geometry of pi, a task that was difficult given the limited cutting tools I had available. Due to these constraints, achieving perfect cuts was challenging, resulting in minor cracks, but everything was okay. I made sure to wear protective eyeglasses so the tiny shards wouldn't get in my eyes and placed cardboard underneath my workspace so I wouldn't damage the surface.

I then installed an LED strip along the inner walls of the 3D-printed frame. I needed to drill a small access hole on the side of the frame to feed the wiring through while keeping the exterior clean. The light source was complete once the LED strip was secured!!

To complete the infinity mirror, I cut the transparent board to the exact shape of the Pi symbol, making it slightly smaller than the frame to allow for secure mounting on the little ledge for it. There was also some difficulty with this process as well, as I was not able to fully cut through without it cracking. But all was well, as I glued it back together with some superglue. :) I then applied a reflective mirror film to this transparent cutout. By layering this on top of the 3D-printed model, which already contained the base mirror and LED lighting, the LEDs reflected repeatedly between the two surfaces, successfully creating the illusion of a deep, endless tunnel within the Pi symbol.

And there we go, just power on the LED and watch the infinity mirror come to life! It was such a cool feeling to see it working after all that cutting and assembling. Wahoo :D