PeterFisher

OrigamiProof:8PetalledFlower
Whenmakingtheorigami8PetalledFlower,afterstep15,thetoptriangleofthe
unfinishedpiecewasfoldedupwardssothattheentirepiecebecameaquadrilateral,asshownby
thetwoimages.Allofthelinesintheimagesareeithercreasesinthepaperortheedgesofthe
paper.

Given:
EBwasfoldedtobecolinearwithEG,andCFwasfoldedtobecolinearwithCG.
EDCisthecornerofthesquarepieceofpaperusedtomaketheorigamipiece.Whenthetop
triangle(CDE)wasfoldeddown,DwascoincidentwithG,asintheleftimage.ECisthefold
lineforCDE.Finally,theorigamipiecewasfoldedsymmetrically,andthusCisareflectionof
EoverlineAD,BisareflectionofFoverlineAD,andGliesonlineAD.
Prove:
Intherightimage,quadrilateralACDEissimilartoquadrilateralABGF.

Proof:
LetsstartbyprovingthattrianglesAEDandAFGaresimilar.
WeknowthatEBiscolinearwithDGandthatCFiscolinearwithCGGandDwere
alsocoincidentwhenCDEwasfoldeddown,asintheleftimage.Inaddition,weknowthat
EDCisthecornerofasquarepieceofpapertherefore,mEDC=90andthatECisthe
lineoverwhichCDEwasfoldedandunfolded.Finally,weknowthatCisareflectionofEover
lineAD,thatBisareflectionofFoverlineAD,andthatGliesonAD.BecauseCisareflection
ofEoverlineADandDliesonthelineofreflection,CDisareflectionofEDthus,ADbisects
EDC,sothatmADE=90/2=45.
FoldingaportionofapieceofpapersuchasCDEisessentiallyreflectingthat
portionoverthefoldline,andsinceECisthefoldline,whenCDEwasunfolded,itwas
reflectedoverEC.SinceGwascoincidentwithDwhenCDEwasfoldeddownwards,itstands

toreasonthatintherightimage,GisareflectionofDoverthelineEC.Thus,EGandCGare
reflectionsofEDandCD,respectively,andthusCGEisareflectionofCDEovertheline
EC.IftrianglesCDEandCGEarereflectionsofeachother,theyarenecessarilycongruent,and
intwocongruenttrianglesallcorrespondinganglesandsidesarecongruent.Thus,EGC
EDC,andmEGC=90.
Now,letsexaminequadrilateralCDEGforamoment.Ithastwooppositerightangles,
andbecauseCisareflectionofEacrossthelineADandDandGlieonlineAD,anglesDEG
andBCDarealsoreflectionsofeachother.Thatmeansthattheymusthaveequalmeasures.If
mDEG=xandmBCD=y,thenx=y.Inadditiontothis,sincethesumofallinterior
anglesofaquadrilateral=360,wecansaythat
x+y+90+90=360,orx+y+180=360,orx+y=180.Now,becausex=y,wecanuse
thesubstitutionmethodtosaythatx+x=180,orthat2x=180thus,x=y=90.Therefore,
quadrilateralCDEGisarectangle,anditsoppositesidesareparallelthatistosay,ED||GC,and
DC||EG.BecauseGCiscolineartoCFandEGiscolineartoEB,EDisalsoparalleltoCFand
DCisalsoparalleltoEB.
NowthatEDandCFareestablishedasparallellines,wecanthinkofthemastwo
parallellinesintersectingatransversal:lineAE.Inthatcase,anglesDEAandGFAare
correspondingangles,andarecongruent.
WehaveestablishedthatmEGC=90.SinceanglesEGCandFGBareverticalangles,
mFGB=90.Rememberthat,sinceBisareflectionofFoverlineAD,andGliesontheline
ofreflection,FGisareflectionofBGthus,ADbisectsFGB,andmAGF=45.Since
mADEisalso45,anglesADEandAGFarecongruent.Nowletscompileallofthework
wevedonesofar.Wevefoundtwopairsofcongruentangles:ADE&AGFandDEA&GFA.
SinceFliesonAEandGliesonAD,anglesDAEandGAFarecongruentaswell.Thus,
trianglesAEDandAFGhavecongruentcorrespondingangles,andthustheyaresimilar.
Ofcourse,wewanttoestablishthesimilarityofthetwoquadrilateralsACDEandABGF.
ButsinceADisalineofreflectionforeverypointintherightimagethatdoesntlieonit,itis
alsoalineofreflectionforeverylinesegmentintherightimage.Thus,itcanbesaidthatACD
isareflectionofAEDandthatABGisareflectionofAFG.Therefore,trianglesACDand
AEDarecongruent,andtrianglesABGandAFGarealsocongruent,andeachpairhascongruent
correspondingangles,meaningthatanytwotrianglesthatarecongruentarealsosimilar.So,by
thetransitivepropertyofsimilarity,trianglesACDandABGaresimilarjustastrianglesAED
andAFGaresimilar.NowconsiderthatquadrilateralACDEiscomprisedoftrianglesACDand
AED,whilequadrilateralABGFiscomprisedoftrianglesABGandAFG.Sincethesetwopairs
ofsimilartriangleshavecongruentanglesandproportionalsides,thetwoquadrilateralsmust
alsohavecongruentanglesandproportionalsides.
Therefore,quadrilateralACDEissimilartoquadrilateralABGF.