The Public Paperfolding History Project

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Mathematical Paperfolding Puzzles
 
This page attempts to record what is known about the origin and history of Mathematical Paperfolding Puzzles ie paper folding puzzles which can only be solved using mathematics rather than by trial and error manipulation. Please contact me if you know any of this information is incorrect or if you have any other information that should be added. Thank you.

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1931

'A Crease Problem' appears in '536 Puzzles and Curious Problems by Henry Dudeney' which was a combination of almost all the material previously published in his 'Modern Puzzles' (published in 1926) and 'Puzzles and Curious Problems' (published in 1931), edited into a single volume by Martin Gardner, and published by Charles Scribner's Sons in New York in 1976. Unfortunately Gardner does not say in which of the volumes each of the puzzles originally appeared.

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This problem also occurs in an article titled 'About origami, the Japanese art of folding objects out of paper' by Martin Gardner which was published in the July 1959 issue of 'Scientific American'.

The solutions were given in the August 1959 'Mathematical Games' column.

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1933

This mathematical folding puzzle appears in 'Diversions and Pastimes' by R M Abraham, which was first published by Constable and Constable in London in 1933. The challenge is to find the length of the edge of a square which would be of the same area as the starting rectangle.

Solution

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