Mathematica
Daily Activities at Mathematica
Once you drop into the Mathematica matrix, you will sense math all around you. Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation has activated the kinetic and rigorously playful exhibition, created by groundbreaking designers Charles and Ray Eames. Mathematica is just as wonder-inspiring now as it was in the 1960s. Novices and prodigies will make new connections, from the conceptual to the aesthetic.
Bubbles that seem impossible, ball bearings that mimic orbiting planets and a machine that renders probability theory as visible awaken the relationship between math and the everyday world. Count on full-STEAM-ahead learning, with the Eameses’ legendary elegance and levity.
Learn about our new field trip packages at 313-982-6001 , then press 1.
Highlights
Celestial Mechanics
With a press of a button, metal ball bearings are released and cycle around down a vortex funnel to demonstrate the orbital relationship between heavenly bodies.
The Random Walk
Two sorting baskets flip back and forth—determining the direction of a meandering pathway of lightbulbs.
Minimal Surfaces
Watch as six wire wands dip in and out of a soapy bath to create delicate bubble forms.
Conic Sections
Peer through the viewing portals and see beams of light transformed into complex shapes, scattered across string formations.
