Month:

How Many Lines Are There?

  • September 9

How many line segments did artist Charles Bezie have to paint to create this artwork? Greenhill School student Ronak uses mathematical patterns to quickly arrive at the answer.... 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

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

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

What’s the Area of Part of a Circle?

  • September 9

The bright colors and disconnected nature of this artwork by Joel Froment are just begging to be appreciated mathematically. Here, a Greenhill School high school student, tej, uses some "circular logic" to investigate area and circumference.... CONTINUE READING

Is there a mathematical pattern to the way that penguins use their nests in South Africa?

  • September 9

The guano that African penguins use as a nesting resource has depleted in recent years; alternate nesting methods, including man-made artificial nests, are being tested out at Dallas Zoo. To track how well these nests work, the amount of eggs laid month by month must be compared to that of natural nests. Analysis of these patterns is valuable information for helping these penguins continue to survive! This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant DRL 2... CONTINUE READING

Do animals all walk with the same pattern, or are there different walk patterns?

  • September 9

Quadrupeds – animals that walk on four legs – move their limbs in many different patterns as they travel. These walking patterns are known as gaits, and each type of gait can be described mathematically and compared to gain insight into animal locomotion! 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 r... CONTINUE READING

How can we measure arches and lines?

  • September 9

Over 7 million people visit the West End Historic District every year! What if they all stood in line to visit? What would that look like? We use math to help us understand this gargantuan number! This video was supported by City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs.... CONTINUE READING

What is the speed of the water?

  • 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, the talkSTEM team found a natural whirlpool in the Trinity River. The video explores a strategy for estimating the speed of water. What other strategies could you use to measure the speed of a liquid? What about objects traveling through air instead of water? At talkSTEM, we know that math isn't always perf... CONTINUE READING