Magicor mathematics?

By Madelaine Clarke
The Museum of Science and Industry evokes a newfound love for math in Chicagos youth.
Patterns are everywhereif you know where to look, says Chicagos Museum of Science and
Industry. 12-year-old James Finnegan now knows this to be true after giving the museums
newest exhibit, Numbers in Nature, a test run.
James has been a self-proclaimed enemy of math since his early school days. Fractionsfractions are the worst, he sneers, reluctantly entering the museum.
The sneer is replaced by wonder as he winds through a tunnel of digital images. They show
sunflowers and mountains, insects and birds. They show patterns. And to Jamess surprise- they
show numbers. He takes a seat for a movie in high definition revealing the secrets of the golden
ratio, Vorinoi patterns, fractal branching. I dont even know what that is, he mutters. But soon
the screen dances with images of the Mona Lisa, Taj Mahal, and the organs of the human
anatomy- all things he knows well. James smirks while playing with computers to reveal the
patterns for himself. Patterns in butterfly wings and anthills are so perfect he calls them magic.
This was only the beginning of the mind-boggling series of numbers. James bravely enters the
exhibits 1,600-foot mirror maze and loses himself among the multitude of mirrored pathways.
His once most hated subjectgeometryis surrounding him as he gleefully wanders through
the dizzying array of mirrors.
The maze lets out into a gallery of interactive stations, where James puts his new mathematic
knowledge to the test. He manipulates pictures and music, and even his legs and arms to reveal
their hidden patterns. If I do all of these things, pre-Algebra is no problem! he exclaims. He
sees there is magic everywhere in the world, and will seek it out for himself outside of the
museum walls.