Visitors learn about Mercator maps and why the compass rose is important for navigation. There are four decorative compass roses on this map and numerous rhumb lines. Outside the visitors center is a human sunclock!
MathHappens Mailroom! July 11 2019
We are very excited to have a real Vara Chain! To relive the suspenseful opening of the box, check out these 1, 2, 3 riveting videos. Or just zoom in on the letter and read it : )
How Tall is the Flagpole- Using mirrors to find Proportions CAMT 2019
Introduction We ask our students to imagine a huge variety of scenarios in math class: trains approaching each other, roller coasters, boats sailing into the wind, buying ice cream, baking cakes, filling vases, sharing pizzas and on. But our students come from a wide variety of backgrounds, with very different life experiences and may not be able to relate to
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CAMT Presentation July 10!
We are excited to bring two backpacks full of MathHappens goodies for door prizes. Paola Garcia and I are co-presenting a session with star Austin High math teacher Mardi Nott. Participants are going to look into each others eyes and discover the power of geometry to analyze light reflections, using similar triangles to reveal the height or distance of objects
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#4 MathHappens at Nature Nights at the Wildflower Center: Voronoi Patterns
Visitors of all ages selected a pattern to trace. When the underlying structure is traced, the giraffe, cracked mud, turtle shell and dragonfly wing all result in similar voronoi patterns. When you compare to the bubbles you can see the similarity there as well.
UTeach STEM Educators Conference
MathHappens participated in the playground where we had an opportunity to show our models, and debut the complete set of Tessellating pentagons as well as Penrose tiles. In addition we offered a session on working with the museum community to combat math misery (presentation slides here), and build a sense of purpose and community in math class. Here’s a handout
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# 3 MathHappens at Nature Nights at the LBJ Wildflower Center: Golden Ratio in Prairie Animals
Looking for the Golden Ratio in Prairie Animals, insects and even our own arm and hands. Over 115 visitors came by this evening.
What is it?!
Math Happens… just about everywhere. This is a very old hoof gauge that we found on a trip to Sheridan, Wyoming. It looks like good luck and math mixed together. The arm of the hoof gauge moves up and down. The arrow points to the measure. A healthy angle for a horse hoof is approximately 54º. Many experienced farriers know
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