Wrapping gift packages can be a chore for some. But, there is an unstoppable technique for obtaining perfect finishes and wasting as little paper as possible… thanks to math!
It’s a real headache for those of us who don’t have the soul of an origamist. On birthdays, Mother’s or Father’s Day, but also and especially at Christmas, when a greater number of gifts are given, the task of wrapping can quickly become arduous. Between torn corners and paper cut too short, the exercise often turns into a nightmare, especially for atypical shapes like balloons or tubes. We then waste meters of paper through unsuccessful attempts, with an ultimately disappointing result.
However, there are indeed little tips and tricks to learn how to make pretty gift packages without tearing out too much hair. Videos of this type abound on social networks, but the steps are sometimes more complicated than they seem. Finally, the best trick came from where we least expected it: it was Sara Santos, a mathematician at King’s College, who developed the magic formula. Simple and effective, it allows you to wrap any shape to perfection (or almost) while minimizing the waste of gift paper.
Near the BBCthe mathematics teacher first reveals her unstoppable technique for square or rectangular gifts: to calculate exactly the right quantity of paper, simply multiply the height of the box by 1.5, then measure the diagonal of the largest side, and finally add the two. More concretely, if your box is 10 cm high and 15 cm diagonal, you will need a sheet of paper measuring 30 cm by 30 cm (10 x 1.5 + 15 = 30). Moreover, the diagonal is ultimately the best friend of a perfectly wrapped Christmas gift, since the best is precisely to place the box diagonally in the center of the sheet of paper, then to fold the corners in the middle: we save paper, as well as the often unsightly adhesive tape. And best of all, if you use patterned paper, they should line up perfectly!
Other mathematical formulas can also be applied to objects in the shape of a triangular prism, like a Toblerone box for example, or even a cylinder, like a poster box. It’s time to see what memories you keep from your geometry classes… For the first, it’s a matter of measuring the height of the triangle then multiplying it by two, and adding it to the length to obtain the ideal quantity of gift paper. For the second, you must measure the diameter of the cylinder and multiply it by Pi (approximately 3.14). Add this number to the length of the tube, and you will obtain the necessary dimensions for your package.
The ultimate challenge is the ball. Because wrapping a sphere with flat paper is mathematically impossible without wrinkles. The pro tip? The cutting in the shape of… a flower. As surprising as it may seem, creating petals in the image of a daisy is one of the most effective ways to package this type of shape. But, for those who have neither the time nor the desire to engage in careful cutting, researchers have discovered that you can wrap a sphere more easily with a sheet of paper in the shape of an equilateral triangle rather than with a square or rectangle.
One thing is certain, you now no longer have an excuse to waste large quantities of gift wrap, or to present poorly wrapped packages under your beautiful tree. And then, who knows, this method could also be an original approach to geometry to show to your children! Who would have thought that math would be used in making Christmas gifts?
