ESP Biography

In this class, we will work together to create large geometric structures out of paper.

The hyperbolic paraboloid is a special geometric surface that looks a bit like a Pringles chip. We'll spend the first portion of the class discussing the mathematics of this surface, and the remainder folding it. We'll start off practice folding a smaller version, before folding giant versions out of 3 foot squares of paper. You will get more out of this class if you are familiar with parabolas, hyperbolas, and curvature, but as most of the class will be spent folding, don't be afraid to take it without math background.

We will buy the largest paper we can find (and afford/transport). And then we will teach you how to fold something awesome out of it. Depending on the size of the paper, you may be working in teams with 10 foot squares, or individually/pairs with 3 foot squares. (So you may not be able to keep what you make - but it might not fit in the car anyway so don't feel so bad.) No previous experience necessary, but we are more likely to pair up origami newbies.

An impractical introduction to Scheme, a ridiculously flexible and powerful programming language. I will teach how to implement Scheme in Scheme, while learning Scheme.