Solving cubic equations with origami
Posted: August 19th, 2018, 1:46 am
(WARNING: this will not make much sense if you do not know what cubic equations are)
Not sure if this is the correct place to post this, but I would like to share a fascinating application of origami to math that I have just learnt of. Basically, folding can be used in conjunction with a pen and a ruler to solve cubic equations (3rd degree polynomials) of the form ax³ + bx² + cx + d = 0
Here is the video I learnt it from:
I find it interesting that using folding is the only way cubic equations can be solved geometrically on paper. A compass and straight edge cannot do this. I highly recommend you watch the above video and give it a go yourself if you are interested by both math and origami. It takes a bit of getting the hang of to do yourself, but the video explains it pretty well. This one also helps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MZEBB24Irg
Apparently, through origami is also the only way you can trisect an angle. I wonder what other applications origami has to math?
Not sure if this is the correct place to post this, but I would like to share a fascinating application of origami to math that I have just learnt of. Basically, folding can be used in conjunction with a pen and a ruler to solve cubic equations (3rd degree polynomials) of the form ax³ + bx² + cx + d = 0
Here is the video I learnt it from:
I find it interesting that using folding is the only way cubic equations can be solved geometrically on paper. A compass and straight edge cannot do this. I highly recommend you watch the above video and give it a go yourself if you are interested by both math and origami. It takes a bit of getting the hang of to do yourself, but the video explains it pretty well. This one also helps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MZEBB24Irg
Apparently, through origami is also the only way you can trisect an angle. I wonder what other applications origami has to math?