Art
Fractal Origami
Here’s another great idea I got from the Bridges Math and Art conference: fractal origami. Check out this folded version of Pythagoras’s Tree.
Apparently, the dimensions of A1 paper are such that if you cut the rectangle in half, parallel to the shorter side, the result will be two rectangles that are roughly similar to the original. This self-similarity allows you to repeat the cutting and folding process, producing smaller and smaller branches.
Have more Fun With Folding!
Challenge NYT
Math Quiz — NYT Learning Network
Through Math for America, I am part of an ongoing collaboration with the New York Times Learning Network. My latest contribution, a Test Yourself quiz-question, can be found here
Test Yourself Math — June 24th, 2013
This problem relates to an article on the changing landscape of retirement. How far will $1 million in retirement savings take you?
Art Photography
Math Art: Fractal Crochet
This is “Crocheted H-Fractal Blanket”, by Kyle Calderhead, on display at the 2012 Bridges Math and Art Conference at Towson University.
Appreciation Teaching
MathMatters! at TEDxNYED
I am very proud of my students, Ahmed and Jason, who presented their peer-to-peer math enrichment program MathMatters! at this year’s TEDxNYED conference.
Ahmed and Jason created a program where NYC high school students travel to middle schools and run workshops on advanced and extra-curricular mathematics. Their goal is to spread the beauty and fun of mathematics to younger students.
Ahmed and Jason put together a team of 20 high school students to develop and deliver fun and engaging lessons on Number Theory, Game Theory, Graph Theory, and many other topics. And although they are graduating this year, Ahmed and Jason have ensured that MathMatters! will live on by training the next generation of student-leaders. They also hope to continue to grow the program while at college.
You can learn more about their program MathMatters! here, and you can watch their full TEDx talk here.