Archive for the ‘Beauty’ Category

How the St. Louis Arch got its shape

Monday, January 18th, 2010

I found this wonderful short video on Science Friday by mathematician Robert Osserman on the Math behind the St. Louis Gateway Arch. This video is a great testament to the beauty of mathematics. Watch it and tell us if you agree. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "How the St. Louis Arch got its shape", url: "http://wildaboutmath.com/2010/01/18/how-the-st-louis-arch-got-its-shape/" });

Fractal Foundation fun

Tuesday, February 12th, 2008

In my neck of the woods in northern New Mexico, the Fractal Foundation lives the mission of inspiring interest in science, Math, and Art through the beauty of fractals. The Foundation puts on fractal-related programs in schools and takes them on the road. The Foundation also sponsors a very popular ...

Flexagon fun for the whole family

Thursday, December 13th, 2007

If you've never heard of flexagons you're in for a treat. Flexagons are flat paper constructions, some of which are really easy to make, that are tremendously fun to play with because you "flex them", hence the name, to reveal more than the two sides that you would expect to ...

Phi: It’s everywhere you look

Wednesday, October 10th, 2007

Phi, also known as the golden ratio or the divine proportion, is one of the great mathematical constants. It is equal to a little more than 1.6 and is a most interesting irrational (but not transcendental) number. Phi has a fascinating connection with the Fibonacci series, it can be derived ...

A picture is worth …

Monday, October 8th, 2007

How many of you remember doing geometry proofs in High School? How many of you enjoyed writing them? I don’t know about you but I’ve always preferred pictures to words when it comes to understanding how something works. “Proofs Without Words: Exercises in Visual Thinking” by Roger B. Nelsen is a ...