ABSTRACT
Summary An origami helix is folded that leads to an exercise where we ask, “How much can this folding technique cause a square piece of paper to be rotated in the limit?”
Content The model here is a clever way to make paper twist using a simple pleat technique. The end result looks like a helix and resembles wind spinners made of wood that are used as outdoor home decorations. The exercise in this activity is a natural extension of the folded model and uses the concept of radian angle measure, geometric transformations, trigonometric functions, and limits. The most simple solution to the problem, however, avoids direct use of limits but does require a firm understanding of radian angle measure. As such, this activity is appropriate for classes ranging from trigonometry through calculus.
