“Could our students show mathematical volumes in a fun way?” Philip Estrada and Mele Sato wanted to do a short collaborative project integrating his physics and engineering class and her calculus class. They were looking at Li Hongbo’s paper sculptures which are solid volumes but can be opened up to show tiny slices inside. They wondered, “Could our students show mathematical volumes in a fun way?”

They had the idea for students to look at rotational volumes by cutting shapes into books and rotating the pages around the axis of the book spine to create a three dimensional shape. The students would then display these former books as sculptures using their new woodshop skills.

Phil made an exemplar. He learned that he had to use large paperback books with at least 400 pages and he used a band saw for a finer cut. Phil mounted the book so that all the pages spread to create a rotational volume.

To start, the teachers showed models and fielded questions to show the students the expectations and learning goals for engineering and math.