Month:

Physics of Dance Workshop – Part 2

  • September 9

Have you ever considered the math and science involved in something as artistic as dance? In this video we take a metaphorical walk through the amazing dance moves demonstrated to us by members of the Dallas Black Dance Theater. Physics especially contributes to dance, and you can learn more about the following properties in this video: Horizontal Momentum, Power of Triangles, Right Angles, Gravity, Center of Gravity... CONTINUE READING

Physics of Dance Workshop – Part 1

  • September 9

Have you ever considered the math and science involved in something as artistic as dance? In this video we take a metaphorical walk through the amazing dance moves demonstrated to us by members of the Dallas Black Dance Theater. Physics especially contributes to dance, and you can learn more about the following properties in this video: Gravity, Center of Gravity, Normal & Gravitational Forces, Angles, Symmetry, Horizontal and Vertical Movement, Momentum... CONTINUE READING

How many angles can you find using the angle-a-tron?

  • September 9

High school members of the Women in STEM club in Greenhill School stop at the playground on their math walk to share some math with the second graders. There are angles all around us on our campus, including in the branches of the trees, and the walls of our buildings. How can we use our angle-a-tron tool to measure some of them? What can we learn about the different angles around us? You can freely print the shapefinder tool as well as the angle-a-tron tool onto an acetate using this pdf:... CONTINUE READING

How tall are the flagpoles?

  • September 9

Towering over Dallas City Hall Plaza are 3 flag poles. How do we use similar triangles and shadows to determine their height? This video was supported by City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs.... 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

How tall is the Ad Astra sculpture?

  • September 9

Join Dr. Glen Whitney, founder of the National Museum of Mathematics on a math walk. He uses the power of similar triangles to calculate the height of a giant sculpture inside the NorthPark Center. How can we estimate the height of the sculpture without getting a ladder? 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

Angle a tron

  • September 9

In this video, we share the ways you can use this convenient math measuring tool to explore the places you visit with your child/student, including the place they are in right now from home to campus! You can freely print the angle-a-tron tool as well as the shapefinder tool onto an acetate using these pdfs... CONTINUE READING

How many sections are there?

  • September 9

A high school student at Hockaday School created a campus STEM walk for elementary students to enjoy. In this walk stop, she looks at the beautifully statue of Hypatia, an ancient Egyptian mathematician and astronomer who died 415 AD. Here she notices the circle surrounding the sections and asks us to do some math to figure out the number of sections within this circle.... CONTINUE READING

How Can Latitude Affect Design?

  • September 9

Dr. Glen Whitney, founder of the National Museum of Mathematics in New York and walkSTEM advisor, observes the grid of louvers up high at the AT&T Performing Arts Center and wonders: how do the louvers act as a sunscreen? How does Dallas’s latitude affect the design of the louvers? At what angle would you have the solar panels positioned in relation to the sun’s rays, if you were designing a building? Supplementary Activity Guides for this video to extend student learning for K-12 grade... CONTINUE READING

How did Calatrava Build this Sculpture?

  • September 9

Dr. Glen Whitney, founder of the National Museum of Mathematics in New York and walkSTEM advisor admires the stunning and dynamic Wave sculpture created by renowned artist Santiago Calatrava. He asks and answers three questions about this artwork: Is it straight or is it curved? Is it symmetric? How did Calatrava build this sculpture?... CONTINUE READING