Entertainment

'Numbers in Nature' at MSI proves math can be fun

Posted October 12, 2014 6:00 am

By Samantha Nelson Daily Herald Correspondent

In the Museum of Science and Industry's new “Numbers in Nature” exhibit, guests can navigate a seemingly infinite 1,800-square-foot mirror maze, which features a pattern of repeating triangles. Courtesy of the Museum of Science and Industry

Patterns are all around us, from the petals of a flower to the cracks in parched soil, and these natural patterns inspire human art, music and architecture. “Numbers in Nature: A Mirror Maze,” the Museum of Science and Industry's newest permanent exhibit, uses those easily observable patterns to get visitors thinking about the mathematical rules that drive them.

“We wanted to get a math exhibit into our offerings,” said John Beckman, the museum's director of design and development. “We liked the mathematic patterns in nature since it's an easy entry point for people. It's not starting with formulas. It's saying 'Hey, look around.'”

A video introduces the concept behind “Numbers in Nature,” showing the scope of patterns like how a snail's shell and the entire Milky Way both form a spiral. Visitors can also spin a series of discs to learn about different types of patterns including fractal branching in the veins of a leaf and the Voronoi patterns that are responsible for the tight grouping of kernels on an ear of corn.

Then it's time to enter the centerpiece of the exhibit, an 1,800-square-foot mirror maze that shows the dizzying power of symmetry. Wandering through the space with the aid of dimly glowing floor lights and smudges on mirrors left by past visitors, it's easy to find yourself in a dead end. Luckily you're rewarded for getting lost with motion-activated two-way mirrors. These display further examples of patterns, such as how the laws of symmetry are at work in a snowflake and in the geometric shapes found in Pueblo pottery or a set of wooden blocks inspired by chemical and molecular bonds.

“We thought it would be a fun, immersive way to introduce people to patterns,” Beckman said of the maze. “It's a way for people to come in and see math in action. When you come out, you get to explore patterns in greater detail.”

The final room is filled with interactive elements. You can lay down cards representing different musical notes to show symmetry in music and pluck strings of varying length to see how proportion effects the sound. A compass lets you see the golden ratio, a geometric formula that has been used by artists and architects since ancient Greece, in an ant or peacock feather and you can see how your own height and wingspan stack up.

Chances are your ratio isn't perfect and that's OK. People from colder climates tend to have shorter wingspans because it historically helped their bodies conserve warmth. Asymmetries can be found in trees when weather impacts their growth and even the normally matching wings of a moth or beetle can have slight differences in pigment.

“You're able to recognize the pattern, but are patterns perfect? No, because we live in the natural world,” Beckman said.

Staff members run activities for kids, including having them identify various patterns. Visitors can also watch a video on how graphic designers use fractal patterns to make images look natural and then try making their own digital art.

“It really does help you understand how these fractals appear in nature,” Beckman said. “When you try to create something in nature and it looks silly, it's because you're not letting the fractals take over.”

“Numbers in Nature” replaces “Petroleum Planet,” an exhibit made obsolete by the museum's newer “Future Energy Chicago” exhibit. It adds another impressive permanent exhibit to the museum's lineup, which includes the physics-focused “Sciences Storms” and “You! The Experience,” which teaches visitors about the human mind and body. The museum's philosophy is to provide highly interactive experiences to get kids interested in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and math), but all exhibits, including “Numbers in Nature,” are packed with information that's sure to be educational for adult visitors too, making it worth traveling to the city to visit.

Reveal the ratios and proportions in the body by stepping in front of a large two-way mirror and striking various poses in the MSI's new "Numbers in Nature" exhibit. Courtesy of the Museum of Science and Industry

Guests can explore patterns hidden within everyday objects with interactive touchscreens in MSI's new permanent exhibit "Numbers in Nature." Courtesy of the Museum of Science and Industry

An immersive theater displays a large-format media piece that introduces visitors to "Numbers in Nature" to a new way of seeing the world around them. Courtesy of the Museum of Science and Industry

In the new "Numbers in Nature" exhibit at MSI, learn about fractal branching by taking on the role of a digital animator to create mountain ranges in computer graphics. Courtesy of the Museum of Science and Industry

Several dead ends are scattered throughout the 1,800-square-foot mirror maze in MSI's "Numbers in Nature" exhibit. In the dead ends, visitors can discover additional intriguing facts and solve some mathematical puzzles. Courtesy of the Museum of Science and Industry

Numbers in Nature: A Mirror Maze

Where: Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, (773) 684-1414, <a href="http://msichicago.org">msichicago.org</a>

Admission: $18; $11 for kids ages 3-11

Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily

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