723 people attend the Alice In Wonderland Exhibit at the Harry S. Ransom Center. With help from UTeach MASST members Samudi and Connie, we had a great day of math interactions with visitors of all ages in the activities area. We noticed some really great collaborations among siblings, families and strangers.
We worked with the cipher by making code names for name tags using the ABCipher code app developed for this exhibit by local App designer Blue from Tricochet.com. Find it here for 99 cents. We also worked to understand the 64=65 puzzle. Like some of the word games and tricks of perception in Alice, this is a play on math if you will, and a bit of a trick in perception. There is a solid explanation that can be seen when we look at the slopes of the cuts in the pieces.
Like many Victorians, Charles Dodgson kept notes on ideas he found interesting. These are his notes on Bonaparte’s code.
Dodgson would frequently carry puzzles in his pockets and challenge acquaintances both old and new to figure them out.