Month:

What’s the Mathematical Pattern?

  • September 9

The floor tiles used to make Untitled (Love Field) by Lane Banks only come in four colors, but never allow two rings of the same color to touch. With that in mind, methods of calculating how many permutations – specific, ordered arrangements – of these segments are possible are discussed. This uses the mathematical concept of factorials to practice combinatorics – the study of combinations and permutations. This video was supported by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs. Suppleme... CONTINUE READING

What is Bernoulli’s Principle?

  • September 9

The sculpture Luminaria highlights multiple scientific principles involved in the function of aircraft with the shapes cut into the steel cylinders it’s made up of. One of these is, represented by swirling lines, is Bernoulli’s principle, used to characterize how forcing air to travel at different speeds can generate a lifting force. The way this principle is taken advantage of through mechanical engineering to help airplane wings fly is discussed. This video was supported by the City of Dal... CONTINUE READING

How Do Artists Use Technology?

  • September 9

The design of a sculpture like Luminaria takes a lot of work, and technology can help make that happen! From the initial data turned into the patterns on the lanterns sides, to the compute software used to shape them into a wrap-around lantern, to the steel-cutting and engineering needed to construct and install them, the sections of this piece prove great examples of how art and science are never far apart. This video was supported by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs. Supplementary... CONTINUE READING

How do Forces Work?

  • September 9

The sculpture Sky uses a structural system of fiberglass rods to keep all of its components supported and in place. The arrangement of these rods make use of tension and compression forces to spread out weight and and force along the entire structure – something that we can analyze through basic shapes. This video was supported by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs. Supplementary Activity Guides for this video to extend student learning for K-12 grade levels are freely available her... CONTINUE READING

How Hard Do Robots Work?

  • September 9

Much of the luggage sorting and transport at the Dallas Love Field Airport is manage by robots built by the Daifuku company. This system can process massive amounts of luggage every year – but how much does it handle, on average, every day? With some simple calculations, we can calculate just how fast this robot-run system operates compared to a human-only method. This video was supported by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs. Supplementary Activity Guides for this video to extend s... CONTINUE READING

STEM in the Arts (Full version)

  • September 9

Join Sam Baker of KERA Public Radio as he moderates a panel with creative and technical professionals from across the Dallas Arts District and discovers how STEM is part of their work. Curators, dance choreographers, and other professionals who shape the offerings of key institutions in the Dallas Arts District share their perspectives on the math and science embedded in the work that they do. Supplementary Activity Guides for this video to extend student learning for K-12 grade levels are freel... CONTINUE READING

STEM in the Arts (Short)

  • September 9

Join Sam Baker of KERA Public Radio as he moderates a panel with creative and technical professionals from across the Dallas Arts District and discovers how STEM is part of their work. Curators, dance choreographers, and other professionals who shape the offerings of key institutions in the Dallas Arts District share their perspectives on the math and science embedded in the work that they do. Supplementary Activity Guides for this video to extend student learning for K-12 grade levels are freel... CONTINUE READING

How tall is the Ad Astra sculpture?

  • September 9

Join Dr. Glen Whitney, founder of the National Museum of Mathematics on a math walk. He uses the power of similar triangles to calculate the height of a giant sculpture inside the NorthPark Center. How can we estimate the height of the sculpture without getting a ladder? This video was supported by NorthPark Center. Supplementary Activity Guides for this video to extend student learning for K-12 grade levels are freely available here:... CONTINUE READING

What is the angle at the very top of the Ad Astra sculpture?

  • September 9

Join Dr. Glen Whitney, founder of the National Museum of Mathematics on a math walk. With the help of friends, he attempts to estimate the angle at the top of this very tall angle at the top of the Ad Astra sculpture. This video was supported by NorthPark Center. Supplementary Activity Guides for this video to extend student learning for K-12 grade levels are freely available here: https://talkstem.org/talkst... CONTINUE READING