Tuesday, June 14, 2011

World's First Mathematics Museum

http://momath.org/

The world's first Mathematics Museum is slated to open in New York City in 2012. Thanks to Alan Boyle of Cosmic Log for turning us on to this.

I sure wish there were more.

Click here to see Cosmic log's article on same.

An artist's conception shows the Museum of Mathematics, which is slated to open in Manhattan in 2012.
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5 comments:

  1. Jérôme ChauvetJune 22, 2011 at 5:10 PM

    Hi Steve,

    You can't believe how hard it is to persuade colleagues that math is worth it for visitors. I still believe that most people are eager to experience what it feels like to think mathematically.

    But sceptic ones say it's boring...

    So thank you for the link, I sent it to some of them hoping they will change their mind about the stuff.

    true, not everybody has interest in math, but it deserves representation in Museum too, as it is a great science.

    Best,

    ReplyDelete
  2. Steven ColyerJune 23, 2011 at 8:41 AM

    Hi Jérôme,

    Oh, I can beleieve it. If you're ever in NYC check out that museum, but there's a nearly as good one at The Hall of Science in Queens, NY. It's the Mathematics wing in that building, which was built in 1964 for the New York '64-'65 World's Fair. These large expositions as you know began in Paris for the opening of the Eiffel Tower.

    Mathematics in general gets a bad rap. It is far more beautiful and open and undiscovered than most people think. For this I blame the crappy educational systems.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jérôme ChauvetJune 23, 2011 at 3:12 PM

    True, many think math is boring solely because they were put under pressure to succeed with it, but were not given the opportunity to play with it.

    In fact, I should rather say only adults think so, as children on the contrary can have great interest in math... I experienced it with a demonstration I once made, that dealt with the 13-knots rope (you know, the stuff with which to measure 90°-angles)

    Children were quite eager to know how it works, really, i could see it was for them another way to do math they had never imagined before.

    Anyway, that Museum looks great!

    Best,

    ReplyDelete
  4. Steven ColyerJune 26, 2011 at 6:09 AM

    Beginning in the 3rd grade, the American Education system starts torturing our children. We overtest them. The States Departments of Education are out of control. Their thirst for "metrics" is insatiable.

    In Math, forcing times tables down their throats and "word problems" that make even the gifted feel stupid, kill the love.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Jérôme ChauvetJune 27, 2011 at 6:38 AM

    The beautiful mathematics has been brought down to slavery by the educational system.

    ReplyDelete