Math You Can Use

Students will actually have fun with math by stepping back in time to see how Pythagoras, Archimedes and other ancient scientists used math to discover the size of our earth, to determine the distance to the moon, and understand why a boat floats.
Then, as we learn a couple of easy math formulas, we will step out into the museum’s exhibit halls and learn to measure heights and distances of unreachable objects. We will use tools as simple as two sticks, to modern distance-finding lasers. We will then return to the lab, setup some exciting experiments in buoyancy and use math to predict the outcomes. By the time the student returns home, they will be able to measure the height of their own house, a tall backyard tree, or maybe even figure out the size of the earth!

Additional Information for this class: Because of the nature of this class, a parent or supervising adult must attend with their student. We will be working in small groups throughout exhibit areas of the museum doing measuring exercises.

For more information or questions, contact Missy Chernick at melissa.chernick@naturalsciences.org or 919.707.8860.