Origami, the Japanese art of folding paper, can be applied to many different fields once the basic folding techniques are understood. Robert Lang, a physicist and origami artist, combines mathematics with origami to create unexpected and beautiful designs. Lang has loved origami since he was a child, even while studying science and working for NASA. In 2001, he quit his job to pursue a career in origami, which he believes can solve complex problems, like creating folding structures for rockets or airbags. Over the years, origami has become more complex, with designs requiring hundreds or even thousands of steps. For Lang, folding feels like dancing with an old partner, with each fold revealing a new solution and a new challenge. Math allows him to create shapes and designs that would be impossible otherwise. For Lang, origami offers endless possibilities for creativity and problem-solving.
Vocabulary:
• Attribute (noun): A quality or feature regarded as a characteristic or inherent part of someone or something. Example: "One of the most important attributes of origami is…"
• Unfold (verb): To open something that was folded or twisted. Example: "Once we have studied and understood the way paper folds and unfolds…"
• Cylindrical (adj.): Having the shape of a cylinder. Example: "I worked on a couple of different folding patterns that were round and would wrap into a cylindrical geometry…"
• Inflates (verb): To fill something with air, making it expand. Example: "I developed an airbag in a car that inflates from a small, folded bundle."
• Geometry (noun): A branch of mathematics involving shapes, sizes, and the properties of space. Example: "I worked on a couple of different folding patterns that were round and would wrap into a cylindrical geometry…"
• Partner (noun): A person with whom one works or shares something. Example: "It's like dancing with a partner whose moves I know."
• Realize (verb): To make something real or achieve it. Example: "Math has allowed me to realize…"
• Achieve (verb): To successfully bring about or reach something. Example: "Shapes and creations that I couldn't achieve any other way."
• Wonderful (adj.): Extremely good, excellent. Example: "Each time I solve a problem I get this wonderful feeling."
Source: Great Big Story