tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317052042177627905.post2288174042322231125..comments2023-06-10T10:09:21.134-04:00Comments on ExhibiTricks: A Museum/Exhibit/Design Blog: Exhibit Design Inspiration:Math Is BeautifulPOW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.)http://www.blogger.com/profile/05111591384018210698noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317052042177627905.post-30449223373045491892008-03-14T11:18:00.000-04:002008-03-14T11:18:00.000-04:00Paul,I minored in math in college, and always saw ...Paul,<BR/><BR/>I minored in math in college, and always saw it as a kind of art--especially relative to engineering, which was my primary focus. When I went to work in children's and science museums, I was surprised by how many of my science educator colleagues still retained a residual hatred/fear of math. I've always thought it a shame that the really beautiful parts of math--the infinite, the philosophical, the theoretical--are not made available to most people, who get overwhelmed and turned off by computation (which is what math is in school until college).<BR/><BR/>Anyway, this led me to go on a math bonanza at the Capital Children's Museum. We did abstract math for kids as young as 3, taking puppet show trips to infinity, "proofing" things, etc. But my all-time favorite math activity, accessible to all ages, is the games and challenges around the <A HREF="http://museumtwo.blogspot.com/2007/07/game-friday-math-party.html" REL="nofollow">four color map theorem,</A> an elusive rule that has only been proven (inelegantly) by computer. You can play with it with crayons and paper, and at any level, get a little glimpse of the bigness and wildness of math. <BR/><BR/>Would that we had more math in our museums...Nina Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11723930679606298550noreply@blogger.com