Month:

What is a dodecahedron?

  • September 9

Ronald Kirk Bridge is a pedestrian bridge over the Trinity River in Dallas, connecting downtown Dallas and West Dallas. It is over 2,000 feet long and 60 feet wide. At Ronald Kirk Bridge there is a great climbing structure at their playground. We noticed something interesting about the shape of the climbing structure. What exactly is that repeated shape on the playground, and why did they use that one instead of a cube or sphere? It's your turn! If you designed your own playground, what shape cl... CONTINUE READING

Which mass travels faster?

  • September 9

Ronald Kirk Bridge is a pedestrian bridge over the Trinity River in Dallas, connecting downtown Dallas and West Dallas. It is over 2,000 feet long and 60 feet wide. At the Ronald Kirk Bridge, talkSTEM members, Michael and Mary, did an experiment to see which would travel down the Trinity River the fastest - the thicker or thinner stick. Make your hypothesis - would heavier or lighter mass travel faster? Watch the video to find out!... CONTINUE READING

What is the most efficient routine?

  • September 9

talkSTEM stopped by Starbucks at Red Bird Mall to enjoy some coffee and explore more about the ways math and science are integral to their cafe experience. This video was supported by City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs.... CONTINUE READING

How Do Cylinders Make Beautiful Shapes?

  • September 9

Dr. Glen Whitney, founder of the National Museum of Mathematics in New York and walkSTEM advisor, is struck by the cylinders obvious in the design of this modern building. The building is formed from two cylinders that intersect to form a beautiful parabola. Supplementary Activity Guides for this video to extend student learning for K-12 grade levels are freely available here: https://talkstem.org/talkstem-ac... CONTINUE READING

What are Fractals?

  • September 9

Dr. Glen Whitney, founder of the National Museum of Mathematics in New York and walkSTEM advisor, notices the beautiful, glossy leaves of the magnolia leaves that he walks by on this tour and call out the math pattern of the veins in the leaves. This fractal pattern, where the shape repeats itself but at a progressively smaller scale is common in nature and is a fascinating, relatively new field in mathematics. Supplementary Activity Guides for this video to extend student learning for K-12 grad... CONTINUE READING

What Can You Measure in Bamboo Plants?

  • September 9

Dr. Glen Whitney, founder of the National Museum of Mathematics in New York and walkSTEM advisor, wonders what we can measure in the bamboo plants located at the entry to the Nasher Sculpture Center. Suggestions include length of nodes, distance between leaves, circumference of stalks, and more. Dr. Whitney then explores the possibility of a mathematical relationship between some of these measurements and age of the bamboo. How would we figure out if there was a relationship and also what type o... CONTINUE READING

How Do You Measure Pitch and How is it Helpful?

  • September 9

Dr. Glen Whitney, founder of the National Museum of Mathematics in New York and walkSTEM advisor, notices the two systems of ramps that lead into the Wyly Theater Center at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. He takes some quick measurements to figure out the slope, gradient or pitch of each of the two ramps, and then discusses how mathematics keeps us safe. Supplementary Activity Guides for this video to extend student learning for K-12 grade levels are freely available here:... CONTINUE READING