The Origami Forum

I'm just wondering: what area of mathematics does Robert Lang use in Origami Design Secrets? I don't really understand any of it. I think it is calculus, but I'm not quite sure...

I don't think it's calc. Topology, maybe?

Nonlinear constrained optimization. I was a [computational] math major, and I never saw anything like that either.

The symbols and all that are just standard math notation, that you'll learn as set theory. Discrete math or an intro to higher level math are classes where you might learn that stuff.

Aha. Thanks, Jared.
Since I'm only in the grade 8, I guess I'll have to wait a few years before I get to take more advanced math courses, but I think I'll get there eventually.

As long as you are willing to wait until college

Graph theory is used. Trees (as used in ODS) are a type of graph. But of course there's more than one branch of math used. Circle packing is a geometry problem and an optimization problem for instance.

Showed it to a math teacher once and she was impressed people used math for Origami. She told me it's complex math and not easy to understand. Either way, I like the book for reading and the philosophy behind it but the math is way over my head,I'm studying at the moment and I'm struggle to grasp even the simplest things like equations and stuff. I suck big time in math.

The good thing is, you will not fold any worse by not understanding math.

If you get to start designing after ODS you can use Treemaker by Lang, which incorporates all the math used in the book.

In fact, it is generally better not to use that kind of math (treemaker) to design. It is better to design by knowledge of molecules/specific structures and intuition.