Origami Mathematics with Robert Geretschläger
On Thursday, 15 May, 2025, Robert Geretschläger will give a lecture on origami mathematics where he will speak about the theory and practice of folding a heptagon. The content of the event is aimed at Bachelor’s degree students in their second and third year.
The regular heptagon
- Thursday, 15 May 2025
- 12.15–13.00
- Language: German
- Location: TBA
Abstract
As is well known, it is possible to construct a regular triangle, quadrilateral, pentagon, hexagon or octagon with classical Euclidean methods, but not a regular heptagon. However, this is very possible with the means of origami.
The lecture will explain the basic theory behind this fact, and on this basis an exact folding method for the regular heptagon will be derived. All participants will then have the opportunity to fold their own heptagon using this method, starting with a square sheet of paper.
Online registration
Please register using the online form (German).
Robert Geretschläger – mathematician and educator
Dr Robert Geretschläger is an Austrian mathematician and teacher, as well as author and editor of numerous non-fiction books, mainly on the subject of competitive mathematics, or the geometry of paper folding, or origami.
He studied mathematics at the University of Graz and descriptive geometry at Graz University of Technology, where he obtained his Master's degree in 1980. He received his doctorate in mathematics in 1985.
After working at various schools, he taught at the BRG Kepler in Graz from 1984, where he worked until his retirement in 2022. He was also a lecturer at the University of Graz from 1997 to 2023.
Geretschläger is intensively involved in the mathematics competition scene: he is chairman of the Austrian "Kangaroo of Mathematics", long-time Austrian delegation leader at the International Mathematical Olympiad and president of the World Federation of National Mathematics Competitions.