Museum of Mathematics (MOMATH)
http://momath.org/
Mathematics is THE ultimate language, but it needs work, and Mathematicians are working on it. It is a
LANGUAGE, NOT a "Science." It transcends Science. It grew out of Logic. It is real, so real in fact, it would
exist even if Reality itself never existed.
MOMATH is located on the north end of Madison Square park in Manhattan. The museum opened in
December of 2012. It currently has 30 exhibits in 19,000 square feet of space. It describes itself as
‘Interactive, hands--‐on, engaging, and fun, the exhibits invite participation, encourage experimentation,
and spark curiosity in visitors of all ages and math skills.
Using my photos and video. Write a piece about the nations only Museum devoted to mathematics.
Upper Level
Hyperhyperboloid
Square Wheeled Trike
Light Grooves
Mathenaeum
Center image from MOMATH press kit.
Mathenaeum, which features a 3D printer to build original designs. Designs are voted on each month
and the winner is 3-D printed in color.
Pattern Mesh
Tracks of Galileo
String Product
Formula Morph
Dials and levers change the function, x, y, and z co-ordinates of shapes on the screen.
Coaster Rollers
Structure Studio
Polypaint (BT)
Lower Level
Math Square
Do time laps stills from video for this one
Math Square is a huge computer screen that you can walk on. Demonstrates: Voronoi cells, least total length of
line segments, and puzzle games. Similar to ‘Near’ at NY Hall of Science.
3D Doodle
3D doodle turns 2D images into 3D by stacking them in a 3D display case.
Plane geometry?
Tesselation Station
In Plane Sight (BT)
Tile factory (BT)
Harmony of the Spheres
[Take still from video]
A sculpture is touched to make and see music. Major and minor chords, and harmonies can be generated.
Sixth Sense
Sixth sense predicts how your numbers add up. One number from each of six columns and rows is selected and
always adds up to 111.
They work like this : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rzZOY9Jfuo
Enigma Café (BT)
Classic math puzzles.
Twist n’ Roll
Various shapes on the table can be split into two pieces and reconnected via magnets to form different shapes.
The new shapes roll along different paths. The goal is to build a shape which makes each of the paths shown on
the table.
http://www.studyladder.com/learn/mathematics/activity/3393
Real life connection: predicting the movement of 3D shapes, do they roll or do they slide.
Edge FX
Edge FX displays a succession of random independent results. It is the latest version of the ‘Probability Machine’ or
Galton board. An original model ‘Probability’ was an exhibit that was included in ‘Mathematica: A World of
Numbers and Beyond’ for the IBM exhibit at the 1964 New York World’s Fair, it is currently on display at the New
York Hall of Science. An update to the classical probability distribution model is a lever that enables the participant
to select where the balls will fall. The digital display keeps track of how many balls land on the right side, and how
many land on the left side. By changing the bias (lever position) users can see that the distribution matches the
bias that has been set.
Real life connection: Fair price simulator in business, one’s chance of profit is equal to one’s chance of loss. What
happened before has no effect on what will happen next time.
Human Tree (BT)
Human tree creates a fractal tree, each branch is a smaller version of the tree. The exhibit models self-similarity,
where a smaller piece of the object looks like a miniature copy of the entire object. Examples of self-similarity in
nature include trees, mountains and coastlines. Human Tree was developed by Theodore Gray, inventor of the
wooden periodic table-table (http://theodoregray.com/PeriodicTable/index.html).
Computer program it originates from: http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/TreeBender/
Theodore Gray writes:
So, many years ago I was making simple fractal trees in Mathematica. When we added the dynamic interactive
features I was able to make the trees real-time interactive, which was fun, but it was annoying that a simple binary
tree has four degrees of freedom, but a mouse only lets you control two at a time (i.e. you can control the length
and angle of only one branch at a time).
Then a bit later we added support for connecting devices like USB joysticks and game controllers to the values of
Mathematica variables, and suddenly I was able to control the whole tree simultaneously, using a dual-joystick
gamepad.
This got me thinking about how much the branches are like arms, and how smooth and natural it would be to have
an interface where you just move your arms and see yourself repeated endlessly.
And thus started my decades-long quest to convince some museum somewhere to actually build the thing, which
finally came to fruition at MOMATH.
Real life connection: creating realistic backgrounds in computer generated images for film and TV.
[Ask MOMATH to use this still photo, grab from still, sharpen…also take still from video]
Feedback Fractals (BT)
Fractals are objects which are not smooth or regular. The word fractals was coined by Mandelbroit and comes
from the latin word fractus meaning broken or fractured. Many fractals have self-similarity, meaning that you can
zoom in on an object and see the image repeated again and again. Each camera in feedback fractals defines an
affine map, which is a geometrical construct specifying a translation, rotation, shear and scaling of the image.
Real life connection: real world shapes resemble fractals much more than they resemble regular shapes such as
cones, cubes, spheres etc., however real world shapes are not exactly self-similar but display more randomness.
Introducing such randomness into computer simulations (mathematically generated fractals) produces a more
realistic image.
Finding Fifteen (BT)
Take turns with an opponent selecting numbers from 1 to 9 in order to be the first to have three numbers that add
up to 15.
There is a strategy to this.
Giant arcade machine version of this - http://www.coolmath-games.com/0-make15/,
http://nrich.maths.org/1223
http://www.primarygames.com/math/make15/
You pull 3 levers in order to add up to 15. Opponent has same levers to pull but cannot pull the same ones you did.
If no opponent is available you play against the computer.
Rhythms of Life
Participants fill turn tables with fractions of a disc that add up to one. Each fraction represents part of a rhythm
that plays a sound selected from the sound archive (plastic blocks with RFID tags). Combining the turn tables leads
to a combination of sounds allowing the rhythm maker to experience the combining of sounds to form more
complex patterns.
Shape Ranger (BT)
Shape Ranger is a game where the user attempts to organize shapes into the smallest area possible. This exhibit
uses a multi-touch table which identifies the shapes and computes the area around them. Packing problems are a
class of optimization problems in mathematics that attempt to pack 3D objects together into containers. The goal
is to maximize ‘packing efficiency’ either by minimizing the volume used (to pack a single container as densely as
possible) or to pack all objects using as few containers as possible.
PACKING IMAGE IN UNIT CELLS
(CHEMISTRY)
Real life connection: Many of these ‘packing problems’ can be related to real life packaging, storage and
transportation issues. Packing of irregular objects like those used in Shape Ranger is a problem not lending itself
well to closed form solutions; however, the applicability to practical environmental science is quite important. For
example, irregularly shaped soil particles pack differently as the sizes and shapes vary, leading to important
outcomes for plant species to adapt root formations and to allow water movement in the soil.
Dynamic Wall (BT)
Additional
References
BT = Developed by the company Blue Telescope (http://blue-telescope.com)
IDEAS:

Conception – a paragraph about how MOMATH came about.

Figure out a word for an 'inspiring exhibit’, that no kid would understand the math behind like human tree
vs
Exhibit like ‘Finding 15’ or ‘String Product’ that is far easier to fully understand.

Find out who built the non 'blue telescope' exhibits

Interview some of the math people linked to the exhibits like I tried to do with human tree.

Find out more about the previous museum of math that had a different name that this one evolves from.

Find out their visitor numbers compare to science museums.

Link each exhibit to educational milestones. When does a kid first learn about fractals? Tesselations? Etc.

From my first hand experience the museum is more about interaction with shapes than anything else.
How could other types of math be represented?

The exhibits try to show via the computer display the 'real world application' of the math involved in the
exhibit. This is only picked up on if you read through several screens on the displays. Is there some other
way this could be presented?

There is no representation of math being the language of science.

What famous math is not represented? e.g infinite series, calculus.

Investigate the idea that they probably have to market themselves as being a fun place for kids to play
since a museum of math sounds to the average person as a dull place to spend the day in NYC.