For our group, we made a tensegrity table! It is a structure that is able to “float” by balancing the tension forces from both ends. One side would tip due to gravity, and the other side would hold the falling side up using tension from the strings. Then, for the interactive part, we challenged the class to make a Da Vinci Bridge, which is a popsicle bridge held up by tension alone.
I have done similar projects before, but i have never thought about it from a mathematical point of view, so it was nostalgic yet very fascinating. The lack of hot glue was extremely infuriating, and the duct tape was not enough to hold the structure together, so it fell apart pretty quickly after I took the photos. The strings took a very long time to get the right tension, but seeing everything fit together and hold the structure up was such an amazing feeling. It’s like getting 100% on a math exam! It was also very fun working with Carson and TsáKtalay’pa, as they both provide different expertise and also gave some very fun ideas for our presentation. So at the end of the day, this was a very fun project to do!
When it comes to implementing math art in the classroom, I think they can be a very great help! I honestly really liked this entire activity itself, so it’s definitely something I want to do near the end of the school year, somewhat as a final review, where my students would need to make an art piece inspired by anything we have learned over the year. A lot of people in math classes are often discouraged to be creative, often to the fault of the structure of the classroom, so I think it is valuable to implement art components to a rigid math course. From our table specifically, I learned how a simple model can demonstrate spatial reasoning. Before making the table, I was trying to figure out what is happening just by looking at the pictures. I needed to picture the entire shape in my head, and figure out why the top part of the structure is able to float. Then, as I am building the structure, it was very interesting to see whether my hypotheses are right. And at the end, it was very satisfying to have my curiosity satiated, and especially seeing the time lapse i filmed at the end. And upon seeing other groups’ projects, I am realizing how easy it is to show off complicated math topics in university as fun craft projects (I had my mind blown away seeing knot theory)!
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