How Tie-Dye Patterns Revolutionized Solar Arrays

Here we show how wondering about the spirals on tie dye t-shirts lead to improvements made in the engineering of solar arrays for satellites! With the use of polar equations, logarithmic spirals, and differential equations Doug was able to discover an interesting combination of complimentary logarithmic spirals that create a very efficient origami like folding pattern that can take large pieces of flat material and fold it into small cylinders.

Doug's paper on Tie Dye T-Shirt Spirals: https://doi.org/10.1080/07468342.2019...

BYU origami solar array full video:    • Origami in Space: BYU-designed solar ...  

Nasa StarShade full video:    • Crazy Engineering: Starshade/Coronagraph  

Math The World is dedicated to bringing real world math problems into the classroom and answering the age old question “when will I ever use this?”

We use unique topics for algebra, trigonometry, calculus, and much more and go beyond context problems and use a technique called mathematical modeling to find solutions to real world questions and real world problems. These videos are great for students who plan to enter technical fields that require real world problem solving, and can be a great resource for teachers looking for ways to bring real world contexts into their classroom.

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Created by Doug Corey

Script: Doug Corey and Jennifer Canizales
Audio: Doug Corey
Animation: Jennifer Canizales
Music: Coma Media

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