diff --git a/explore_120cell.js b/explore_120cell.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..056556b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/explore_120cell.js
@@ -0,0 +1,172 @@
+
+
+import * as POLYTOPES from './polytopes.js';
+
+// exploring more inscriptions of the 120-cell
+
+
+export function nodes_links(links, nodeid) {
+    return links.filter((l) => l.source === nodeid || l.target === nodeid);
+}
+
+
+export function linked(links, n1, n2) {
+    const ls = nodes_links(nodes_links(links, n1), n2);
+    if( ls.length ) {
+        return ls[0]
+    } else {
+        return false;
+    }
+}
+
+
+function fingerprint(ids) {
+    const sids = [...ids];
+    sids.sort();
+    return sids.join(',');
+}
+
+export function dist(n1, n2) {
+    return Math.sqrt((n1.x - n2.x) ** 2 + (n1.y - n2.y) ** 2 + (n1.z - n2.z) ** 2 + (n1.w - n2.w) ** 2);
+}
+
+
+export function make_120cell() {
+    const nodes = POLYTOPES.make_120cell_vertices();
+    const links = POLYTOPES.auto_detect_edges(nodes, 4);
+    return {
+    	nodes: nodes,
+    	links: links
+    }
+}
+
+function round_dist(raw) {
+    return Math.floor(raw * 100000) / 100000;
+}
+
+export function distance_groups(cell120) {
+    // get list of other nodes by distance
+    // sort them and dump them out
+    const dists = {};
+
+    cell120.nodes.map((n) => {
+        const draw = dist(cell120.nodes[0], n);
+        const dtrunc = round_dist(draw);
+        if( !(dtrunc in dists) ) {
+            dists[dtrunc] = [];
+        }
+        dists[dtrunc].push(n);
+    });
+    return dists; 
+}
+
+function distance_group(cell120, n0, chord) {
+    const nodes = []
+    cell120.nodes.map((n) => {
+        const d = round_dist(dist(n0, n));
+        if( d == chord ) {
+            nodes.push(n);
+        }
+    });
+    // filter and return those whose chord is also the same
+    const equidistant = [];
+    for( const n1 of nodes ) {
+        for( const n2 of nodes ) {
+            if( n2.id > n1.id ) {
+                if( round_dist(dist(n1, n2)) == chord ) {
+                    equidistant.push([n1, n2]);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    return equidistant;
+}
+
+
+export function chord_survey() {
+    const cell120 = POLYTOPES.cell120_inscribed();
+
+    const dgroups = distance_groups(cell120);
+
+    const dists = Object.keys(dgroups);
+
+    dists.sort();
+
+    for( const d of dists ) {
+        const g0 = dgroups[d][0];
+        dgroups[d].map((g) => {
+            console.log(`${g0.id}-${g.id}: ${round_dist(dist(g0, g))}`);
+        });
+    }
+}
+
+// how to proceed: start with the 120-cell that has five 600-cells inscribed
+// in it. Take the 120 nodes from one of those 600-cells, and construct a 5-cell
+// from each such that all of the vertices are on different 600-cells.
+
+// collect them and output by label because every 5-cell is on all 5 600-cells
+
+function overlap(c1, c2) {
+    for( const l in c1 ) {
+        if( c1[l] === c2[l] ) {
+            return true;
+        }
+    }
+    return overlap;
+}
+
+
+export function gather_5cells() {
+    const cell120 = POLYTOPES.cell120_inscribed();
+    const CHORD5 = round_dist(Math.sqrt(2.5));
+    const bins = [];
+    cell120.nodes.filter((n) => n.label === 1).map((n) => {
+        const g = distance_group(cell120, n, CHORD5);
+        const cells = [ ];
+        for( const pair of g ) {
+            let seen = false;
+            for( const cell of cells ) {
+                const c = Object.values(cell);
+                if( c.includes(pair[0].id) || c.includes(pair[1].id) ) {
+                    if( !c.includes(pair[0].id) ) { 
+                        cell[pair[0].label] = pair[0].id;
+                    }
+                    if( !c.includes(pair[1].id) ) {
+                        cell[pair[1].label] = pair[1].id;
+                    }
+                    seen = true;
+                    break;
+                }
+            }
+            if( !seen ) {
+                const cell = {};
+                cell[1]= n.id;
+                cell[pair[0].label] = pair[0].id;
+                cell[pair[1].label] = pair[1].id;
+                cells.push(cell);
+           }
+        }
+        for( const cell of cells ) {
+            let binned = false;
+            for( const bin of bins ) {
+                const overlaps = bin.filter((b) => overlap(b, cell));
+                console.log(bin);
+                console.log(cell);
+                console.log(overlaps);
+               if( overlaps.length === 0 ) {
+                    bin.push(cell);
+                    binned = true;
+                    console.log("binned");
+                  break;
+                }
+            }
+            if( !binned ) {
+                bins.push([ cell ]);
+            }
+        }
+        //console.log(bins);
+    })
+    ;
+}
+
+gather_5cells();