Mathematical Quilts

Although MOSI is primarily a science center, we do have fairly regular art installations by artisans who create pieces that are a blend of art and science. Currently, one of these art exhibitions is a collection of quilts by Elaine Ellison who creates quilts that have mathematics at the core of their design concepts. The artist finds inspiration in mathematical sequences, architecture, and mathematics that occurs in nature.

Chartres Cathedral Quilt: "Chartres Cathedral labyrinth is an approximate golden rectangle. The gothic cathedral, begun in 1145, has a labyrinth on its’ floor. The cathedral marks the high point of French Gothic art. Pilgrims walk the labyrinth in reflection of their lives. A labyrinth has only one path. The architect of this cathedral is unknown.” –Elaine Ellison’s website

Buckeyballs and Bubbles - “This quilt turned out to be a tribute to Richard Smalley, a professor who discovered the existence of the Buckeyball in soot. For centuries it was thought that the only two pure forms of carbon were hard sparkling diamonds and dull, slippery graphite. In l985, Smalley's team announce a third pure form of carbon C-60. The Buckeyball was named after Buckminster Fuller, the inventor of the geodesic dome. The symmetry in the Buckeyball lends itself to applications in drug design, chemical sponges, miniature circuits, lubricants, catalysts, chemical probes in a scanning-fo rce microscope, batteries, molecular sieves, and possible use in photo copiers.” –Elaine Ellison’s website

About the Artist: Elaine Ellison, mathematical quilting artist

As the daughter of creative parents, I was fortunate to explore a variety of media from a very young age. My parents taught me the value of the arts in everyday life. Between my parents and the Central Michigan University Art Department, I was fortunate to explore drawing, painting, bronze work, photographs, woodworking, and textiles. My devotion to cloth peaked in the early l980’s when I read the book Geometry and the Visual Arts by Dan Pedoe. From this time, I have continued to explore the way that cloth can help me express mathematics geometrically.

My retirement from formal teaching in 2005 has given me time to develop more mathematical quilts. I continue to speak around the world at mathematics conferences, art museums, quilt groups and general interest groups. I have developed a wonderful PowerPoint presentation of my mathematical quilts that I share with interested groups.

Visit MOSI to see a beautiful collection of mathematical quilts on display in the 2nd floor connecting corridor gallery. You can also visit the artist’s website to learn more about Elaine and her work.

November Volunteer of the Month: Will Shumaker

Will Shumaker has been with MOSI since July of 1996. Over the course of his tenure, Mr. Shumaker has logged over 3,783 hours as a membership services volunteer. His work has been indespensible.

Will is an avid mountain and ice climber who enjoys movies, travel and phtography. Will also volunteers his time at the local greyhound rescue. He is very giving and seems to be friends with just about everyone!

A big thank you to Will for all he does to help make MOSI the great place that it is!

MOSI Wins Nation's Highest Award for Community Service

MOSI is excited to share with you that we have received the nation’s highest honor for community service - the 2009 National Medal for Museums, presented by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Out of 17,000 museums in the country, we are one of only 5 to receive this award!

We couldn’t have achieved this without the support of our members, visitors, donors and board members. Thank you for making MOSI one of the best Science Centers in the Country!

October Volunteer of the Month: Bret Walborn

Bret Walborn is MOSI Volunteer of the Month for October 2009.

Bret has been a volunteer in the Development Department at MOSI for 10 years and his assistance is invaluable. Bret’s responsibilities include creating new files, updating current files and keeping the filing system in order. Always available to help with a smile on his face, Bret creates organization and helps to ensure that our Development Department runs smoothly and that all of the files are kept in good order.

Bernoulli Breezeball

As you can see in the video, the orange balls are being held up only by air blown out of the tubes on the Bernoulli Breezeball exhibit. By adjusting the direction of the tubes you can pass the balls from one airstream to another and eventually into the hoops at the ends of the table.

How does it work:
Moving air has less pressure (pushing power) than still air. Objects may look as if they are sucked into a stream of moving air but are actually being pushed into the stream by the stronger pressure of the air around the stream. When a ball is placed into an airstream, the air flowing upward hits the bottom of the ball and slows down, generating a region of higher pressure. This high-pressure region of air under the ball holds it up. If you try to pull the ball slowly out of the airstream, the air arcs around the ball and its pressure is decreased. The normal pressure on the other side of the ball pushes it back into the airstream.

Daniel Bernoulli:
The Bernoulli Breezeball exhibit is named for Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782) who was a member of a Swiss family that boasted several famous mathematicians. Bernoulli applied mathematics to the fields of fluid mechanics and also pioneered mathematics work in probability and statistics. He taught at the University of St. Petersburg and later at the University of Basel where he successively chaired the departments of medicine, metaphysics and natural philosophy. Daniel Bernoulli is best known for 1738 publication Hydrodynamica and for Bernoulli's principle which describes the relationship of the speed of a fluid and its pressure.

Bernoulli's principle and aerodynamics:
Bernoulli's principle can be applied to aerodynamics. Using Bernoulli's principle you can calculate the lift force on an airfoil. Airplane wings utilize an airfoil shape that is curved on the top and flat on the bottom. In motion, air flows faster over the curved surface on the top of an airfoil than under the flat bottom. The faster moving air decreases in pressure so less pressure is being applied to the top of an airplane wing than to the bottom. This difference in pressure creates an upwards lift force. If the speed of the air over and under the wing is known, Bernoulli's equations can be used to calculate the lift force upon the airfoil.

Read more about Bernoulli's Principle applied to aerodynamics at the US Centennial of Flight Commission website.

KM0SI Amateur Radio

If you have ever wanted to learn a bit about amateur radio, I know a few MOSI volunteers who would be happy to talk to you.

Gene and Gail King can be found manning the KM0SI radio truck in the MOSI Disasterville exhibit on Wednesday mornings. Gene is a retired Tampa police officer who came to amateur radio for the services it can provide during disasters where regular forms of communication tend to break down. Gail is an avid birder who started working on her amateur radio license because it was something about which her husband was very passionate. From their backyard radio setup, the Kings have made contact with radio operators as far away as Slovenia, Australia and several location in South America. With just 60-70 watts of power and a "wire in a tree" antenna, this couple has been able to talk with people half way around the world!

In the KM0SI Truck, the Kings can show you current positions of the Hubble Telescope and the International Space Station or even show you how they contact other radio operators around the world.

What is Amateur Radio?
From Wikipedia: "Amateur radio, often called ham radio, is both a hobby and a service in which participants, called "hams," use various types of radio communications equipment to communicate with other radio amateurs for public service, recreation and self-training.

Amateur radio operators enjoy personal (and often worldwide) wireless communications with each other and are able to support their communities with emergency and disaster communications if necessary, while increasing their personal knowledge of electronics and radio theory. An estimated six million people throughout the world are regularly involved with amateur radio.

The term "amateur" reflects the principle that Amateur Radio and its skilled operators are committed to helping communities without financial compensation; whereas Commercial Radio operates purely for profit."

The image to the right is the international symbol for amateur radio. The circuit diagram inside the diamond symbolizes components common to every radio: an antenna, inductor and ground.

Want to get involved in ham radio?
The National Association for Amateur Radio or ARRL website offers lots of great information for those who are interested in learning more about becoming a licensed radio operator. Also, the WeDoThatRadio website offers visitors the ability to search for local ham radio clubs in their area. If you are in Tampa, check out the Tampa Amateur Radio Club (TARC) website for local contacts and meeting times.

Drop by MOSI on a Wednesday morning and chat with the Kings or come by on a Thursday morning and talk to long time MOSI ham radio volunteer Fred. The volunteers of KM0SI are all friendly folks who are always happy to talk to someone interested in amateur radio. You can also email the friendly KM0SI volunteers at km0simosi@gmail.com.

Touch a tornado

What does a tornado look like up close and personal? Well, most of us really don't want to have a personal experience with such a force of nature just to satisfy our curiosity. A mist vortex is a safe way to get up close to and even touch a vortex. In this exhibit water vapor is released from a tank at the bottom and a fan at the top of the exhibit swirls the air and vapor into a vortex. The six posts on the exhibit all have tiny air vents that blow air in a single direction that helps to corral the water vapor and keep it turning in a tornado-like vortex.

Originally designed at the Exploratorium during an artist in residence program, mist vortexes have become a great way to show science center guests how a tornado looks up close. Our mist vortex is located on the second floor of MOSI's main building in the Disasterville exhibit Tornado section. MOSI's Disasterville exhibit also educates guests about floor, hurricanes, tsunami, wildfire, earthquake, lighting, volcano, hail and other forces of nature with awesome destructive power. To know how these disasters work helps people to prepare plans for what do do if a natural disaster ever touches their lives.