HONR219O: Lecture Notes 7: Solving Things with Origami

1. The word origami comes from the Japanese verb oru, meaning to fold, and noun kami, meaning
paper.

2. Describe how formality is imposed on what origami is. Or more accurately how we formalize
what is possible by folding paper. Mention the seven Huzita-Hatori axioms (aka. the Huzita-
Justin axioms). These axioms come from what has been found to be possible using origami
and were only fully discovered in 1989. Recent stuff! We will only really need Axioms 2, 3
and 6 but here they all are:

(1) Given two points p1 and p2 , there is a unique fold that passes through both of them.
(2) Given two points p1 and p2 , there is a unique fold that places p1 onto p2 .
(3) Given two lines l1 and l2 , there is a fold that places l1 onto l2 .
(4) Given a point p1 and a line l1 , there is a unique fold perpendicular to l1 that passes
through point p1 .
(5) Given two points p1 and p2 and a line l1 , there is a fold that places p1 onto l1 and passes
through p2 .
(6) Given two points p1 and p2 and two lines l1 and l2 , there is a fold that places p1 onto l1
and p2 onto l2 .
(7) Given one point p and two lines l1 and l2 , there is a fold that places p onto l1 and is
perpendicular to l2 .

3. Many mathematical things can be accomplished using origami. By saying this, what we mean
is the following: Given a problem, you transfer the information about that problem onto the
paper somehow (usually as a length, slope or angle). Then you fold the paper. After some
number of steps, you read the final answer from the paper (usually as a length, slope or angle).

4. Define the focus and directrix for a parabola, or more specifically the reverse. This will be
relevant for Axiom 6.
HONR219O: Groupwork 6
Axiom 2 is really obvious and Axiom 3 may seem obvious at first but:

1. Draw two lines and try Axiom 3. Then consider which word is missing from Axiom 3 which
is present in many other axioms. Then find an example of Axiom 3 which clarifies why this
word is missing. On your answer sheet draw your pictures again and for each draw where the
fold is.

Convince yourself that Axiom 6 is true for this single first example and then show me. Once everyone
can do it Ill show you how Id like you to draw this.

2. Axiom 6 example 1:

l2

l1
p2
p1

Now discover the folds for the following examples. This is probably easier to actually do with paper
so transfer your points and lines to paper and fold. Then draw the results.

3. Axiom 6 example 2:

l2
p2

l1

p1

4. Axiom 6 example 3:

l2
p1

l1
p2
 5. Lets see if we can get an idea why this axiom is true. On each of your three examples draw
a parabola for each point/line pair treating them as the directrix and focus. If your pictures
are good youll see the cool fact: What property does the fold line have?
6. Make a hypothesis about what is always true about two parabolas and which fits what youve
found for the examples. Do not attempt to prove this!
Now lets see what we can do with origami!
7. Show how to bisect an angle. Start with an angle folded on the paper like this picture. The
angle is in the lower-right corner between the bottom edge and the line l. Show how you can
construct an angle with half this measurement. Which axiom are you using?

8. Show how you can fold 2n , for any integer n 1.
9. Now lets see if we can trisect an angle. Again start with an angle folded on the paper. We
wish to construct an angle with one-third of this measurement.

(a) Start with an angle on the paper like above. Fold two horizontal lines, one at a distance
from the bottom edge, and one at a a distance 2. The value of can be anything, but
make it something manageable like one-quarter of the paper height for example. Let the
lower line be denoted l1 and the upper one l2 . Let P be the intersection of l2 with the
left edge of the paper and let V be the bottom left corner.

l
P
l2

l1

V

(b) Make a fold which places P onto l and V onto l1 . Keep the paper folded. Which axiom?
(c) Now then, part of the line l1 is now upside-down from the fold. See where it is through the
paper. Extend this line (via another fold) to a diagonal line going off to the upper-right
part of the paper. Call this new line l .
(d) Unfold the paper completely and then extend l (via another fold) back down to the vertex.
This new line along with the bottom edge forms 32 of the original angle . Identify this
and show me!
Now wed like to prove that weve actually done this and it doesnt just seem that way. Your
unfolded paper should have some folds and lines which look essentially as follows. Ive added in two
dashed lines which indicate the reflections of P and V through your first fold. You probably want
to indicate which angles you know are right angles.

Now here is the same picture with a bunch of stuff added. Specifically Ive marked some angles,
filled in the trapezoid shape and emphasized a quadrilateral and a triangle.

90

10. (a) Explain briefly why the six are really equal.
(b) Explain briefly why the two are really equal.
(c) Using the quadrilateral write down an equation involving and .
(d) Using the triangle write down an equation involving , and .
(e) Write down an equation involving and .
(f) Use the above equations to solve for in terms of . Done!
Okay, not so bad. Next wed like to see if its possible to trisect a length. In other words, given a
square sheet of paper, for example, is it possible to split it into thirds using only folds? In this case
there is no problem to transfer onto the paper, because the length to be split into thirds is already
there, its the length of the side.
From here on I wont be so generous with pictures!

11. (a) Take a square piece of paper and fold a vertical line halfway across the paper. Unfold the
paper and then mark the top of this line p.
(b) Fold the lower-left corner up to meet p. The bottom edge of the paper gets folded over
and intersects the right-hand edge at a point. Mark this point on the right-hand edge q.
Dont unfold the paper!
(c) Prove using similar triangles and the Pythagorean Theorem that the point q is two-thirds
of the way down the right edge.

We can also use origami to solve equations. By solving an equation we mean constructing a length,
slope or angle which is the solution to a given equation. For us it will be a slope.
One of the most amazing things (in my opinion) you can do with a single origami fold is solve the
cubic equation x3 + ax2 + bx + c = 0 for any a, b and c. Keep in mind that this is somewhat easier
than a quadratic in that a cubic equation always has at least one real solution whereas a quadratic
may have none. Our three in-class examples will have just one solution but there is a homework
example with three.

12. For example, lets solve the cubic equation x3 + 3x2 + 4x + 2 = 0 (one real solution). In order
to save our sanity, well use graph paper so its easy to count units, but keep in mind it could
be done like the previous problem.

(a) Draw axes of decent size in the middle of the graph paper. You might want to use more
than one graph paper square per unit in order to make things bigger.
(b) Mark the point p1 = (3, 1).
(c) Mark the point p2 = (2, 4).
(d) Mark the line l1 with equation y = 1.
(e) Mark the line l2 with equation x = 2.
(f) Fold a line such that the point p1 goes to the line l1 and the point p2 goes to the line l2 .
It may make it easier if you cut out the axes such that the points are on the right and
top edges of the paper, but its not necessary.
(g) What is the slope m of this line?
(h) Plug this m back into the equation. Wow!
Heres the general method applied to x3 + ax2 + bx + c = 0:

S1: Draw/fold axes of decent size in the middle of the graph paper.

S2: Mark the point p1 = (a, 1).

S3: Mark the point p2 = (c, b).

S4: Mark the line l1 with equation y = 1.

S5: Mark the line l2 with equation x = c.

S6: Fold a line such that the point p1 goes to the line l1 and the point p2 goes to the line l2 . It
maybe make it easier if you cut out the axis such that the points are on the right and top
edges of the paper, but its not necessary.

S7: Find the slope m of this line?

Here some other examples and thoughts.

13. Solve x3 + 5x2 + 5x + 2 = 0 (one real solution).

14. If you have time, solve x3 + x2 + 4x + 3 = 0 (one real solution).

15. What if the cubic has three real solutions? What do you think will happen?
HONR219O: Homework 6

1. Consider the following fold of a 1 1 piece of paper:

x
y

This fold arose in the length trisection problem where we had x = 1/2 and found y = 2/3.
Find the general relationship between the two. More specifically find y in terms of unknown
x. This doesnt take more than similar triangles and the Pythagorean theorem.

2. Its a fact that the parabola f1 (x) = 41 (x 2)2 + 1 has focus (2, 2) and directrix y = 0 and the
parabola f2 (x) = 41 (x + 2)2 has focus (2, 1) and directrix y = 1. Find the exact equation
of the Axiom 6 corresponding to the foci and directrices fold by following these steps:

(a) Find the equation of the line tangent to f1 (x) at x = x1 .

(b) Find the equation of the line tangent to f2 (x) at x = x2 .
(c) In order for these lines to be the same they must have the same slope and y-intercept.
Find these and set them equal. Solve for x1 and x2 and then find the corresponding
y-values.
Note: The equations for the lines are messy but if you equate the slopes and y-intercepts
a lot will simplify away.
(d) Find the equation of the line joining the two points.
(e) Plot the foci, the directrices and the fold line and see that it works.

3. Use origami to find at least two of the three solutions to x3 4x2 + x + 6. You can do all three
but it may be challenging depending upon how much space you have on the paper. I did two
in a reasonable size. Hand in your origami sheet with the data and folds clearly marked and
with the slopes clearly marked next to their folds. Please be neat!