Month:

How Can We Estimate the Amount of Water on Earth?

• September 9

The terrazzo World Map in the main lobby provides a fairly accurate representation of the Earth’s surface. Using the lines separating its sections to divide it into quadrants, we can use fractions to estimate the portion of the whole covered by water. Combining these parts back together and comparing it to established numbers should give us and idea of how close we were able to get with our estimation! This video was supported by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs. Supplementary Act... CONTINUE READING

What’s the farthest distance between 2 points on the map?

• September 9

Does it ever seem like you parked at a store that is farthest away from the store you want? Join Dr. Glen Whitney, Founder of the National Museum of Mathematics, as you discover how to determine what the farthest points are within NorthPark Center. 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

How Can We Determine Map Scale?

• September 9

A talkSTEM team member helps us understand scale by determining the scale of this map of Red Bird Mall. We invite all interested groups to reach out and find more information on creating content of their own math walk or STEM walking tour with us at https://talkstem.org/create-your-own-walkstem.... 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 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 Many Different Ways Can You Count?

• September 9

Dr. Glen Whitney, founder of the National Museum of Mathematics in New York and walkSTEM advisor, admires the modern structure of a high rise building in the Arts District and highlights the fact that there are many different ways to look at a mathematical problem. These methods may include: decomposition of the larger area into smaller rectangular areas and finding the larger area and then subtracting the areas of each rectangular array. He illustrates these methods by observing the windows on... 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

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

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

How Do You Create Your Own Labyrinth?

• September 9

Dr. Glen Whitney, founder of the National Museum of Mathematics in New York and walkSTEM advisor discusses the differences between a labyrinth and a maze and poses the math questions that directly relate to the design of a labyrinth, which is a winding path that never repeats, and yet has only one route that can take you from the outer edge to the center. How do you design a labyrinth? How many different labyrinths could there be or is this the only one?... CONTINUE READING