By Owen Martin | Posted: Tuesday September 16, 2025
Origami Menger Sponge
For the end of this term, our brilliant Year 9 mathematicians from Manuka have been busy with a unique and fascinating project: constructing a Menger sponge out of origami! If you've walked past the maths department, you've likely seen their incredible creation taking shape.
So, what exactly is a Menger sponge? It's a special type of fractal, which is a never-ending pattern that repeats itself at different scales. Imagine a large cube with the middle sections removed from each face and from its very center. Then, imagine doing the same thing to all the smaller cubes that are left over, and so on, forever!
Our students embarked on the challenge of building a "Level 1" sponge. This required them to first fold 20 individual origami cubes, and then join those together to make one larger cube with a hole in the middle. Using cladding they turned their level 1 creation into a level 5 Menger sponge.
Students learned about surface area and volume in a tangible way. One of the most mind-bending properties of a perfect, theoretical Menger sponge is that as you repeat the process infinitely, its surface area approaches infinity, while its volume approaches zero! How cool is that? Beyond the maths, this project was a huge exercise in patience, teamwork, and problem-solving. A huge congratulations to all the Year 9 students from Manuka involved for their dedication and amazing work. Be sure to pop by the maths block to see their fractal masterpiece!
