Month:

What geometric patterns can we identify on a leaf?

• September 9

A mathematical pattern is any sort of repeated property - something occurs frequently in nature! Taking a look at magnolias in particular, we identify branching patterns in leaf veins, and their degree of sub-level repetition. This allows us to understand various geometric concepts. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant DRL 2115393. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s)... CONTINUE READING

How can we estimate the amount of produce in a garden?

• September 9

In order grow plants efficiently, making certain estimations is valuable - how well plants will grow, how much produce each plant will give use, or, even more fundamentally, how many plants we can fit in a given plot of land. Taking information we know about marigolds as an example, we showcase ways to determine these sorts of important predictions. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant DRL 2115393. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or re... CONTINUE READING

Recipe Ratios: Which recipe uses more chiles?

• September 9

When using recipes, determining how much of each ingredient is needed is an important task - particularly if you're making an amount different than what the recipe directly instructs! By looking at two different recipes for salsa, and using ratios and unit conversions to make them more easily comparable, we can begin to determine how much of these wonderful garden ingredients we'd need to use for each dish. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant... CONTINUE READING

What’s the Scale Factor used in the Blueprint for the Welcome Center?

• September 9

Students from St. Philip's School & Community Center on a math walk stop at the newly constructed Welcome Center at their school. They wonder what the scale factor was that was used to build the space as the builders went from blueprint to real space? This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant DRL 2115393. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily refle... CONTINUE READING

How many students fit in the chapel while observing social distancing regulations?

• September 9

Students from St. Philip's School & Community Center on a math walk stop at the school chapel. They wonder what the maximum number of people is that could fit in this space given social distancing protocols during the Covid pandemic? They use the patterns on the carpet, and some simple estimation strategies to answer their question. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant DRL 2115393. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations... CONTINUE READING

What is a Mathematical Fossil Hunt?

• September 9

Dr. Glen Whitney, founder of the National Museum of Mathematics in New York and walkSTEM advisor, takes us on a mathematical fossil hunt as we observe a modern water feature at the Texas Sculpture Walk. 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 was provided... CONTINUE READING

Why is it Called the Flying Pancake?

• September 9

The Flying Pancake is a fun name for a unique airplane that is no longer in use. We wonder as to why this aircraft was designed to have a flat wing-like body giving it such a large surface area? We explore this unique design and come to understand how this design met its goals but also came at a cost. Supplementary Activity Guides to extend student learning at the Frontiers of Flight Museum for K-12 grade levels are freely available here:... CONTINUE READING

Why is the Apollo VII shaped that way?

• September 9

The Command Module of the Apollo VII mission has a truncated cone shape which was essential to its goals of leaving the earth's atmosphere and then safely re-entering the atmosphere to bring its crew back to Earth in 1968. Here, we wonder how the shape of the module was an important aspect of its design and learn about cone shapes, air resistance, and surface area. Supplementary Activity Guides to extend student learning at the Frontiers of Flight Museum for K-12 grade levels are freely availabl... CONTINUE READING

What Materials Make Up the Apollo VII?

• September 9

We notice that the bottom surface of the Command Module of the Apollo VII space mission looks different from the material making up the rest of the module. We learn that this difference is a critical part of the design of the module that brought home the crew of 3 astronauts in 1968. Further, the heat shield material that was developed for the command module’s bottom surface is now something we use in everyday life – great example of innovation that ends up being used far more widely than an... CONTINUE READING