Virtual Field Trip

From Prep08Wiki

Most workshops get to take a field trip around the city they've met in. We'll do the next best thing! Please upload and include images of mathematics in your town. Use a header with your town's name, include your name below it, and any discussion of the math in the image.

Places to look for mathematics:

Buildings
Public art
Natural phenomenon
Local museums
Architectural details (tiles, wallpaper, decorative elements,...)
Bridges, signage, furniture, churches, mosques,....

Mathematical architecture of the 1960's.

Eero Saarinen's Gateway Arch (1965). A very large (630 foot tall) catenary arch. Given (approximately) by the equation y = 694 - 69 cosh(0.01 x) for x from -300 to 300 (in feet).	One of Buckminster Fuller's first geodesic dome buildings (1960), in the Missouri Botanic Garden. Part of a spherical tessellation by hexagons and the occasional pentagon.	The McDonnell Planetarium at the St. Louis Science Center is a hyperboloid of one sheet, by Gyo Obata, 1963.

Sadly, they tore down the old Busch Stadium.

The All Saints Chapel in the St Louis Cathedral Basilica.

Some details from the Cathedral.

Chicago

My sweet home, Chicago. Andrius

Northampton, Mass

Northampton, Mass Noho. Christine

Los Angeles, CA

(Blake)

Frank Gehry's buildings always involve complex surfaces, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles is a prime example.

One of my favorite sights in LA is the Watts Towers, built by Simon Rodion out of found materials over several decades. The towers include many mosaics and symmetric elements.

Watts Towers

Another famous landmark is Mann's Chinese Theater - which has some obvious symmetry in the picture below.

Finally, there are many museums in Los Angeles with art which can be analyzed mathematically. The mosaic below is from the Getty Villa, and has several nice frieze patterns.

My walk to work (New York City)

Here's what I see on my way to work each day. NYC Virginia

Wayne, America

Northeast Nebraska is not known for its art - but I'd love your help on one of these! Wayne. Tami

St. Augustine, FL

This rug is on the wall in my living room! My wife hooked this; the pattern is called "Tumbling Cats". I think its fair to say it has rough order 2 symmetry.--Bill 17:09, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Sarasota, FL

Sarasota is home of the Ringling School of Art and Design and the Ringling Museum of Art. I took pictures of some of the sights. Sarasota Nancy

Cincinnati Ohio

My home Cincinnati, Ohio . Maureen

Philadelphia - Art Museum

Philadelphia Art Museum links (copyrighted material)-Stephen

http://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/54149.html?mulR=28335

Roanoke, Virginia

Phyllis and Christina live in the Roanoke Valley and work at Hollins University.--Christina 03:22, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Albany NY

Capital of New York - Andre

Cambridge, Massachusetts

(from Angela)

There's lots of interesting math and art in Cambridge and Boston, but due to time constraints I'm just going to give you some photos that are near to my heart -- these are all from MIT and are on public display. I took them when I cataloged MIT's collection of mathematical models last year. These are models which were purchased by MIT somewhere in the late 1800's or more likely the early 1900's for display and for use in instruction. You can find more photos and information if you are interested at my website (scroll down to the bottom of the page for a link to more photos and a large PDF about MIT's collection). Click on the images to get to more of a description. Oh, and if you are interested in connections between these models and art, check out this paper (File:ArtPaper.pdf) that I wrote a few years ago about influences these models had on constructivists and surrealists.