The House of Culture from the Diputación of Girona is hosting an exhibition that seeks to explain and demonstrate the usefulness of mathematics in everyday life. From calculations, logic and insight, the exhibition aims to make visitors understand that mathematics are not so abstract and distant as they seem. The exhibition is part of a project to get a mathematics museum in Catalonia; it is aimed at all audiences, and will be in Girona until the 27th February.
8 February 2010
With the slogan "Forbidden not to touch”, the exhibition that arrives in Girona is the first step of a project aimed at the creation of the Museum of Mathematics in Catalonia (MMAC). The initiative started in 2006 when the first working group was formed and which has evolved until becoming the l’Associació per Promoure i Crear un Museu de Matemàtiques a Catalunya (The Association to Promote and Create a Mathematic Museum in Catalonia). Through a travelling exhibition, the aim is to publicize the social image of mathematics and to echo the need for a museum which at the same time, will serve as a support for educational centres.
At the opening ceremony of the exhibition, Josep Rey, member of the MMAC Association, explained the aim of the project: "We have to get a mathematical museum in Catalonia to provide an educational service inside and outside of the classroom, and also for the general public”. Núria Tarés, Councillor of Education from the Town Hall of Girona, was very positive about the arrival of this exhibition to the city and valued it as a unique opportunity." Doing mathematics and learn through numbers, is also creating culture, because through science we can expand our knowledge”. "It would be a dream that Girona could house the museum”, added Terés.
The exhibition "Experience Mathematics. Forbidden not to touch” gathers a large number of exercises and visual tests that enable understanding mere curiosities to the most known theorems. Thus, visitors can build on a small scale the mythical bridge invented by Leonardo da Vinci, observe the role of physics in the cycloid curve, or understand why Pythagorean Theorem works.
In total, over sixty exercises related to mathematics, for the public to think, observe, manipulate, solve, classify and calculate. And that is because the motto of the exhibition is "Forbidden not to touch”. The whole exhibition tries to explain and demonstrate various points related to mathematics from mirrors, scales, cylinders, cubes, colours, numbers, vertices, operations and water.
The exhibition also doesn´t forget the visual effect and how the eye deceives us when comparing sizes, diameters and weights. "Which one is longer, a circle of 30 centimetres in diameter or two of 15 centimetres?", "Where does more air pass, through a tube of 20 centimetres in diameter or two of 10?" Are some examples.
An ambitious project
Throughout its nearly four years of existence, the project has gained presence and support to get a mathematic museum in Catalonia. Today, the initiative has already been introduced throughout Catalonia, and as well as Girona, people have been able to visit it in Alella, Figueres, Centelles and Castelldefels. In addition, the project has the support from the Department of Education of the Generalitat of Catalonia, the mathematics faculties of the Catalan universities and the Institute of Education Sciences at the University of Girona.
Mathematics accessible to all
Besides the opening of the exhibition "Experience Mathematics. Forbidden not to touch", last Thursday the go-ahead was given to a series of lectures in science communication. Every Thursday in February, the Great Hall of the Arts Centre will host a lecture on mathematics. Experts on this science will apply various points of mathematics in everyday issues such as soap bubbles, shadows, magic and music.
Aubanell Anton, professor of mathematics and head of Creama (Centre de Recursos per Ensenyar i Aprendre Matemàtiques), began yesterday the cycle with the first lecture, entitled "We discovered geometry through soap bubbles”. For an hour and a half, Aubanell used bubbles to demonstrate the potential of mathematics to describe, explain and predict situations of everyday life.
At all times, Anton Aubanell involved the public to play with the bubbles and make them understand that, as he stated, "behind them there is a lot of science, and mathematics can interpret the world around us”.
"We discover geometry through soap bubbles" is the first of four popular science lectures that will be made throughout the month of February in Girona. Next week, Josep M. Cors will explain the relationship between this science and shadows. On Thursday 18, it will be the turn of Nacho Alvarez and the application of maths on magic and, finally, on the 25th February, Juan Jareño and Francina Turon will build the musical scale from fractions.
