This Geometric Transformation shows how the sum of the first 6 consecutive odd numbers is the square of 6, or 36. It’s the classic “proof without words”. Freese’s Transformation also shows this relationship, but his “squares” have sides sqrt 1, sqrt 3, sqrt 5, and so on. Freese Corel File, Adobe Illustrator File, Jpg printable
Take and Make: Experimental Mathematics Cucumber Edition
Here’s a fun one! Inspired by a conversation with Chris Daniels of Public Math. He said roll paper around a cylinder and cut on an angle to get an ellipse and produce a sine wave. So we did! And you can too. Then you can make a roller from ellipses, reflect your sine curve and roll the elliptical roller along
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Take and Make: Freese Transformation 178
This design is from a lost manuscript of Ernest Irving Freese found by Greg Frederickson and published in his 2018 book “Ernest Irving Freese’s Geometric Transformations: The Man, the Manuscript, the Magnificent Dissections” Frederickson mentions Freese’s manuscript in the bibliography of his 1997 book, “Dissections: Plane & Fancy, and included selections from it in a 5-part series of short chapters spread
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Take and Make: Tower of Hanoi
Ximena Garcia made a laser design for the Tower of Hanoi puzzle. You make two of each disk and glue them together for nice chunky pieces. We use dot stampers (for bingo sheets) to color the wood. Works great! The laser files are in this folder on our webpage. Tower of Hanoi is a model of exponential growth – number of
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International Day of Mathematics
The University of Texas and MathHappens Foundation participated in the first international day of Mathematics. Check out the video contributions from Dr. Jennifer Austin (inside the main video at minute 3 and Ximena Garcia featured video.
Take and Make files are spreading! Fantastic!
It is very exciting to see our files being used and the great results! Gotta love the math and maker communities on twitter! Thank you @MathHappensOrg https://t.co/yJ63LBiqJp — Ralph Pantozzi (@mathillustrated) March 13, 2020
Austin High Field Trip – Golden Ratio and Fibonacci Numbers
Destination: Austin Nature and Science Center Three components: Build Golden Ratio Calipers Build a family tree for Bees (Drones have one parent, Queens have 2) Use the Calipers in the Nature and Science Center
Awesome Math Making Ideas from Other People – Napiers Bones
Here’s an excerpt of a twitter conversation. Day before yesterday Aida wrote to get access to some of our files and ideas. Yesterday she made this amazing version of Napiers Bones that is in the National Archeological Museum in Madrid. Today I’m inspired by her project and want to know more about this version and I want to see that
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Take and Make: Folding Parabola
See how this grid folds into a parabola. More Parabola information in “owners manual” format by Michelle Tat. We laser cut the holes in the cardstock and added some laser etched lines to make the folds crisp. Find the laser files here. This thing is a great fidget and you would be surprised at the tenacity young children and even adults to
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Women in Steam at the Thinkery
Women in Mathematics! Katherine Johnson calculated trajectories, parabolic and otherwise for NASA in the 1960s. Almost 70 years earlier Mary Boole invented curve stitching to teach the mathematical properties of parabolas to children. We made some really great foldable parabolas to connect to the work of both these women in math. Here’s the laser file – we cut the holes
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