40 Spieazines 



considerably more stable than a single compart- 

 ment because there would not be more than two 

 exposed corners on any one of the seven compart- 

 ments. It is doubtful, however, whether even a 

 structure of seven compartments could exist per- 

 manently because the two exposed corners on 

 every peripheral hexagon would constitute re- 

 gions of weakness, whereas if we would substitute 

 pentagons for hexagons at the periphery then 

 there would be too much straining of the triple 

 junctions. 



If, however, this structure would become sur- 

 rounded with another layer of hexagonal com- 

 partments it would be rendered considerably 

 more stable because only the alternate compart- 

 ments at the periphery would then have two ex- 

 posed corners and the remaining compartments 

 only one, and if the compartments with two ex- 

 posed corners be changed over into pentagons 

 then none of them will have more than one ex- 

 posed corner. Since each peripheral polygon now 

 occupies only one-twelfth of the entire circumfer- 

 ence, it appears that conditions at the periphery 

 will not be materially changed by the addition of 

 more layers of compartments. A cluster of nine- 

 teen polygonal compartments arranged as shown 

 in Fig. 6 should therefore possess as much stabil- 

 ity as any larger structure and probably repre- 

 sents the simplest form of life. 



