Month:

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

How does Gravity Affect Flowing Water?

• September 9

Dr. Glen Whitney, founder of the National Museum of Mathematics in New York and walkSTEM advisor explores the natural phenomenon of water tapering in as it flows downward. Have you ever noticed this? A supplementary activity guide is available for this video, thanks to participation by faculty and students at Simmons School of Education and Human Development at SMU: https://talkstem.org/talkstem-activity-guid... CONTINUE READING

What is Mathematical about a Tree?

• September 9

Dr. Glen Whitney, founder of the National Museum of Mathematics in New York and walkSTEM advisor wonders what is mathematical about trees. He asks why do trees always have a larger singular trunk at the Earth, and more smaller branches in the sky? Why not one singular branch that stretches up? Dr. Glen Whitney explores this natural phenomenon that applies to all trees. A supplementary activity guide is available for this video, thanks to participation by faculty and students at Simmons School of... CONTINUE READING

Why is There a Gap in the Building’s Facade?

• September 9

This building has a unique design element – there is a gap in the facade of the building. Why would there be one? In this video, which is geared for high school students and older, Dr. Glen Whitney, founder of the National Museum of Mathematics in New York and walkSTEM advisor, discusses temperature changes that we are used to, here in Dallas. He goes on to explore the mathematical relationship between change in temperature and the expansion factor of aluminum. Supplementary Activity Guides fo... CONTINUE READING

What is the Artist’s Favorite Ratio?

• September 9

Renzo Piano, the architect who designed the stunning Nasher Sculpture Center, had a favorite ratio that becomes a repeating motif in the design and the measurements of the building. How can we figure it out? Join Dr. Glen Whitney, founder of the National Museum of Mathematics in New York and walkSTEM advisor, as he (together with a group of friends) takes some quick measurements to figure this out. Supplementary Activity Guides for this video to extend student learning for K-12 grade levels are... CONTINUE READING

How Do Artists Use Math to Mix Colors?

• September 9

Dr. Glen Whitney, founder of the National Museum of Mathematics in New York and walkSTEM advisor, admires this large and visually stunning artwork outside the front doors of the Dallas Museum of Art. He looks at this artwork and wonders how the artist “mixed” colors in this mosaic to create various effects that we, as viewers, can appreciate. He introduces the color wheel to us an interesting example of a math model. He discusses: how is the color wheel a useful mathematical model? a limited... CONTINUE READING

How Tall is this Imaginary Person?

• September 9

The sculpture Undulating X is constructed from metal in the shape of a giant chromosome, a discrete spool of DNA within a cell. But if a chromosome were actually this size, rather than microscopic, how big would the person who it belongs to be? Math can help us figure that out. Join talkSTEM and UT Southwestern faculty and grad students as they explore the STEM concepts on their campus.... CONTINUE READING

How Many Circles Make Up this Pattern?

• September 9

There’s a pattern of overlapping circles in the ground pavement around the medical center – but is there any way to estimate how many circles there are? We investigate a few different methods of figuring it out! Join talkSTEM and UT Southwestern faculty and grad students as they explore the STEM concepts on their campus.... CONTINUE READING

How Can we Estimate Really Tall Things We Can’t Reach?

• September 9

Dr. Glen Whitney, founder of the National Museum of Mathematics in New York and walkSTEM advisor, uses the mathematical properties of rectangles to help him measure the width of louvers that are extremely high us. Supplementary Activity Guides for this video to extend student learning for K-12 grade levels are freely available here: https://talkstem.org/talkstem-activity-guides/ Support for these guides w... CONTINUE READING

How Did the Architects Play with Numbers?

• September 9

Dr. Glen Whitney, founder of the National Museum of Mathematics in New York and walkSTEM advisor admires the unique grid up high above this space. Some questions that you get to explore are: What are louvers, and why are they useful?Can you identify other natural or man-made items which perform the same function or purpose as the louvers at the Winspear Opera House? What are the attributes of a quadrilateral, of a parallelogram? How could you measure the length of an object that is a far away fr... CONTINUE READING