Slope is a way of describing the way that a line or plane – like a sidewalk – changes over a distance. Using these principles, we describe the way the grounds around us were built. Join talkSTEM and UT Southwestern faculty and grad students as they explore the STEM concepts on their campus.... CONTINUE READING
There’s a pattern of overlapping circles in the ground pavement around the medical center – but is there any way to estimate how many circles there are? We investigate a few different methods of figuring it out! Join talkSTEM and UT Southwestern faculty and grad students as they explore the STEM concepts on their campus.... CONTINUE READING
The castle-shaped shelves in the Dallas Public Library picture book area is a fun way to incorporate imaginative architecture into a space. Designing these sorts of shelves requires quite a bit of math and planning – something we try to tease apart by taking measurements of its dimensions.... CONTINUE READING
Dr. Glen Whitney, founder of the National Museum of Mathematics in New York and walkSTEM advisor explores the space and notices the recurring appearance of a relatively unusual shape in architecture, ellipses. In this video, this shape is explored and measured and different ellipses are compared.... CONTINUE READING
Dr. Glen Whitney, founder of the National Museum of Mathematics in New York and walkSTEM advisor shows how to look for mathematical clues in real world places in order to solve a problem or answer a question. In this case, the question is whether the building's column is actually straight or not.... CONTINUE READING
Renzo Piano, the architect who designed the stunning Nasher Sculpture Center, had a favorite ratio that becomes a repeating motif in the design and the measurements of the building. How can we figure it out? Join Dr. Glen Whitney, founder of the National Museum of Mathematics in New York and walkSTEM advisor, as he (together with a group of friends) takes some quick measurements to figure this out. Supplementary Activity Guides for this video to extend student learning for K-12 grade levels are... CONTINUE READING
Estimation, quantity, and scale help us understand aspects of the world around us that we can’t always interact with directly – these tools help us understand large objects and numbers, and ways to represent them. We discuss the questions students at the St. Philip’s School and Community Center posed within this math theme to show just how intuitive this can be! This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant DRL 2115393. Any opinions, findings, an... CONTINUE READING
We wonder what the maximum number of people is that could fit on board the 737 people we are walking through at the museum? How can we come up with a good estimate? We use number arrays to come up with our estimate and walk you through our thinking. Supplementary Activity Guides to extend student learning at the Frontiers of Flight Museum for K-12 grade levels are freely available here:... CONTINUE READING
At the Texas Lodge, we studied the pavers around the flagpole. If you look closely, you may wonder – do these pavers actually make a circle? How can we determine this? 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/... CONTINUE READING
Ever look into a pool and think, “Wow – that’s a lot of water!” This thought prompted us to consider exactly how many showers one could take using water in the pool at Camp Whispering Cedars. We started by measuring the surface area and perimeter of the pool before determining volume, using the formula, Volume=(Area)(Height). You’ll be amazed at what we discovered! Supplementary Activity Guides for this video to extend student learning for K-12 grade levels are freely available here:... CONTINUE READING