“Math Moves!” Brings Out the Fun in Mathematics with Creativity, Teamwork, and Motion at Adventure Science Center in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – “Math Moves!” is an exhibition that helps the general public battle math anxiety – a feeling of fear when presented with a mathematical equation – through educational fun which will be on display Feb. 3 through May 13 at Adventure Science Center.

Guests can delight in building their math muscle through collaborative interactives that involve playful, full-body explorations of ratios, proportions, and other fundamental math concepts.

Adventure Science Center will host a special opening day celebration with activities that will help guests dive even deeper into some of the concepts presented within the exhibition 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 3. Try a pyramid build challenge, learn about fractals found in nature, craft pixel portraits with post-it notes, and explore probability with fidget spinners. All activities during this celebration are included with the price of admission.

This exhibition provides guests with the unique opportunity to see how these important concepts play into everyday life through hands-on, interactive, cooperative, and – above all – memorable experiences. Everyone – not just kids – will have the chance to create incredible new memories and see the world differently.

Highlights of the “Math Moves!” exhibition include:

•             Partner Motion

Grab a partner and see how different rates of motion look as graphs on a screen. By walking back and forth, guests create graphs of their motions see how the graph data changes as they modify their speeds. The graphs display their movement over time, giving them direct proportional slopes, another way to think about how their rates compare.

•             Comparing Forms

Three chairs situated in this exhibition are identical in every aspect… except proportional scale. Guests use their bodies and other measuring tools to investigate how the chairs differ in size. It’s a very tangible way to gain experience with the geometric concept of similarity and begin to understand proportional relationships between different-sized objects.

•             Comparing Frequencies

Using one or more small wheels driven by a larger wheel, guests create rhythmic percussive sounds. This element invites guests to experiment with several wheels to compare frequencies of clicks, both seeing and hearing the rhythm of proportions and frequency of clicking.

•             Shadow Fractions

In this section, guests can create shadow stories with scaled objects. A bright light casts shadows of the objects on a grid, where guests can directly experience physical science as they move the objects around to increase or reduce the size of the objects’ shadows.

New Planetarium Show Offering

Beginning Feb. 1, Adventure Science Center’s Sudekum Planetarium will offer a brand-new fulldome show – “Fantastic Fractals!” guests can enjoy a completely immersive journey into the infinitely complex structures of fractals while learning more about the mathematics that make these shapes possible. Tickets to “Fantastic Fractals!” are $7 for adults/teens (ages 13+) and $5 for youth (ages 2-12), and must be purchased in conjunction with general admission tickets prior to 3 p.m. More information about the show can be found at www.AdventureSci.org/fractals.

Entry into the “Math Moves!” exhibition is included with the price of general admission. “Math Moves!” will be at the science center Feb. 3 through May 13, 2018. “Math Moves!” was developed in partnership by: Explora, Albuquerque, New Mexico; Museum of Life & Science, Durham, North Carolina; Museum of Science, Boston, Massachusetts; Science Museum of Minnesota, Saint Paul; Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education, at San Diego State University and TERC, Cambridge with support from the National Science Foundation. The “Math Moves!” contributing Sponsor is Cornerstone Financial Credit Union. Information is subject to change.

About Adventure Science Center

For more than 70 years, Adventure Science Center has been bringing science to life for students, teachers and families in Middle Tennessee and across the U.S.  The Science Center offers engaging learning experiences and science fun through hands-on, interactive exhibits; innovative programs; and fulldome productions in state-of-the-art Sudekum Planetarium. Adventure Science Center strives to open every mind to the wonders of science and technology, fostering a better understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

Adventure Science Center is located at 800 Fort Negley Blvd. in Nashville.

For more information about the exhibition, visit www.AdventureSci.org/MathMoves or call Alexis McCoy, director of marketing and communications, at 615-669-5094.

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