Mathematics of paper folding

Map folding for a 2×2 grid of squares: there are eight different ways to fold such a map along its creases

The discipline of origami or paper folding has received a considerable amount of mathematical study. Fields of interest include a given paper model's flat-foldability (whether the model can be flattened without damaging it), and the use of paper folds to solve up-to cubic mathematical equations.[1]

Computational origami is a recent branch of computer science that is concerned with studying algorithms that solve paper-folding problems. The field of computational origami has also grown significantly since its inception in the 1990s with Robert Lang's TreeMaker algorithm to assist in the precise folding of bases.[2] Computational origami results either address origami design or origami foldability.[3] In origami design problems, the goal is to design an object that can be folded out of paper given a specific target configuration. In origami foldability problems, the goal is to fold something using the creases of an initial configuration. Results in origami design problems have been more accessible than in origami foldability problems.[3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference hull11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "origami - History of origami | Britannica". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2022-05-08.
  3. ^ a b "Lecture: Recent Results in Computational Origami". Origami USA: We are the American national society devoted to origami, the art of paperfolding. Retrieved 2022-05-08.