From Flapping Birds to Space Telescopes: The Art and Science of Origami

The last decade of the 20th century witnessed a revolution in the application of mathematical techniques to origami, the centuries-old Japanese art of paper folding. In this lecture-demonstration, Robert Lang, who is recognized as one of the foremost origami artists in the world, will describe how geometric concepts led to the solution of a broad class of origami folding problems-specifically, the problem of efficiently folding a shape with an arbitrary number and arrangement of flaps-and along the way, enabled origami designs of mind-blowing complexity and realism, some of which he will share. The algorithms and theorems of origami design have both shed light on long-standing mathematical questions and solved practical engineering problems, leading, for example, to safer airbags, Brobdingnagian space telescopes, and more.

Speaker: Robert Lang,