Month:

How tall are the gateway arches?

  • September 9

West End Historic District is marked by these beautiful brick arches and we wonder what is the tallest person that could walk under them? We used math to figure that out. This video was supported by City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs.... CONTINUE READING

What is the weight of an ice rink?

  • 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. What would happen if water froze on the middle of the Ron Kirk Bridge? Could we create an ice rink on this bridge? talkSTEM members explore this question and estimate how much weight an ice rink would add to the bridge.... 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

How symmetrical is a Buckyball?

  • September 9

Join Dr. Glen Whitney, Founder of the National Museum of Mathematics, as you discover the most symmetrical object at NorthPark Center- the Buckyball! Learn how to determine how symmetrical a shape is, and what makes the Buckyball so special. 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: htt... CONTINUE READING

Which mass travels faster?

  • 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, talkSTEM members, Michael and Mary, did an experiment to see which would travel down the Trinity River the fastest - the thicker or thinner stick. Make your hypothesis - would heavier or lighter mass travel faster? Watch the video to find out!... CONTINUE READING

How tall is the sculpture?

  • September 9

A high school student at Hockaday School created a campus STEM walk for elementary students to enjoy. In this walk stop, she stops at a tall sculpture that contains glass shapes created by Hockaday students and invites us to estimate the height of the sculpture and also to estimate the total number of glass shapes on the sculpture using some math detective work!... 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

What are Color Equations?

  • September 9

Join Dr. Glen Whitney, Founder of the National Museum of Mathematics, on a math walk. As you walk throughout NorthPark Center, you may notice a pattern of artwork that reoccurs. There are several panels that appear like addition equations with color. Can you add colors like numbers? Dr.Glen Whitney explores the concept of adding colors using a color wheel. On a color wheel, you can calculate the angle bisector of two colors to find the resulting color if the two were mixed. We discuss how there... 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