Paper 2

Tenses and Verb Form

Origami

Origami, which __________ (come) from the Japanese words ‘fold’ and ‘paper’, is
increasingly being used to solve complicated engineering problems. On a 10 out of 10
segment last month, we __________ (cover) an MIT project on origami robots. They
__________ (include) a small machine and a plastic exoskeleton that folded into a
predetermined shape when it __________ (heat). Well, a former NASA physicist
__________ (fold) his love for origami into his career as a mathematician for several
years.

One of the most important attributes of origami __________ (be) that once we
__________ (study) and have understood the way paper folds and __________ (unfold),
we can apply those patterns to things that are very different from paper.

I hope by bringing the tools of mathematics into my origami designs that I can then fold
something that is beautiful and unexpected. My name __________ (be) Robert Lang, and I
__________ (be) a physicist and an origami artist. Origami is the Japanese name for the
art of folded paper, and most origami __________ (fold) from a single sheet of paper with
no cuts or tears.

I __________ (love) origami for my entire lifetime. I __________ (pursue) it ever since I
was a kid, but my study __________ (be) science and engineering. I worked for NASA
doing research on lasers, but throughout that whole time, I __________ (pursue) origami,
developing designs and writing books. So in 2001, I __________ (quit) my job to try to
make a career out of origami.

For so many years, I __________ (work) on a couple of different folding patterns that
were round and would wrap into a cylindrical geometry to fit into a rocket, and I
developed an airbag in a car that inflates from a small folded bundle. So, whenever an
engineer __________ (create) something that opens and closes in a controlled way, that
can make use of the folding patterns of origami.

Over the years, math __________ (allow) me to realize—as an artist—shapes and

creations that I could not achieve any other way.

Traditional origami __________ (be) relatively simple. The designs would have taken
maybe 20 or 30 steps at most. But today, origami pieces can be so complicated that they
can have tens, hundreds, maybe even a thousand steps.

When I __________ (fold), it is like working with an old friend. It is like dancing with a
partner whose moves I know. If I move this way, I __________ (know) my partner’s
going to move that way. And so, I explore the math, develop the equations, __________
(solve) the equations, __________ (create) the folding pattern and then I find out what it
looks like. And as often as not, it __________ (be) beautiful.

For me, the driving force is that there is always something new to try—a new problem, a
new subject, a new shape—that I did not think I __________ (be) able to create before,
but now I think I know how to realize it. And each time I __________ (solve) a problem, I
get this wonderful feeling and I want more of those feelings.
Origami, which comes from the Japanese words ‘fold’ and ‘paper’, is increasingly
being used to solve complicated engineering problems. On a 10 out of 10 segment last
month, we covered an MIT project on origami robots. They included a small machine and
a plastic exoskeleton that folded into a predetermined shape when it was heated. Well, a
former NASA physicist has folded his love for origami into his career as a mathematician.

One of the most important attributes of origami is that once we have studied and
understood the way paper folds and unfolds, we can apply those patterns to things that are
very different from paper.

I hope by bringing the tools of mathematics into my origami designs that I can then fold
something that is beautiful and unexpected. My name is Robert Lang, and I am a physicist
and an origami artist. Origami is the Japanese name for the art of folded paper, and most
origami is folded from a single sheet of paper with no cuts or tears.

I have loved/love origami for my entire lifetime. I pursued it ever since I was a kid, but
my study was science and engineering. I worked for NASA doing research on lasers, but
throughout that whole time, I had bee pursuing origami, developing designs and writing
books. So in 2001, I quit my job to try to make a career out of origami.

I have worked on a couple of different folding patterns that were round and would wrap
into a cylindrical geometry to fit into a rocket, and I developed an airbag in a car that
inflates from a small folded bundle. So, whenever an engineer creates something that
opens and closes in a controlled way, that can make use of the folding patterns of origami.

Over the years, math has allowed me to realize—as an artist—shapes and creations that I
could not achieve any other way.

Traditional origami was relatively simple. The designs would have taken maybe 20 or 30
steps at most. But today, origami pieces can be so complicated that they can have tens,
hundreds, maybe even a thousand steps.

When I am folding, it is like working with an old friend. It is like dancing with a partner
whose moves I know. If I move this way, I know my partner’s going to move that way.
And so, I explore the math, develop the equations, solve the equations, create the folding
pattern and then I find out what it looks like. And as often as not, it is beautiful.

For me, the driving force is that there is always something new to try—a new problem, a
new subject, a new shape—that I did not think I was able to create before, but now I think
I know how to realize it. And each time I solve a problem, I get this wonderful feeling and
I want more of those feelings.