View source for Mathematica: A World of Numbers... and Beyond

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[[File:Mobius Strip.jpg|thumb|upright|Large [[Möbius strip|Möbius strip]] with traveling arrow]]
'''''Mathematica: A World of Numbers… and Beyond''''' is a [[Physics:Kinetic art|kinetic]] and static exhibition of mathematical concepts designed by Charles and Ray Eames, originally debuted at the California Museum of Science and Industry in 1961. Duplicates have since been made, and they (as well as the original) have been moved to other institutions.

==History==
[[File:Multiplication Machine.jpg|thumb|left|Multiplication machine]]
[[File:The Pseudosphere.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Pseudosphere|Pseudosphere]] model]]
In March, 1961 a new science  wing at the California Museum of Science and Industry<ref name="CMS">Called the California Science Center since 1998.</ref> in Los Angeles opened. The [[Company:IBM|IBM Corporation]] had been asked by the Museum to make a contribution; IBM in turn asked the famous California designer team of Charles Eames and his wife Ray Eames to come up with a good proposal. The result was that the Eames Office was commissioned by IBM to design an interactive exhibition called ''Mathematica: A World of Numbers... and Beyond''.<ref name="rights">The physical component of the exhibit was owned by the museum, it was financially supported by IBM, and the Eames Office retained the artistic property rights.</ref> This was the first of many exhibitions designed by the Eames Office.

The {{convert|3000|sqft|m2|sing=on}} exhibition stayed at the Museum until January 1998, making it the longest running of any corporate sponsored museum exhibition.<ref name=DBoom>{{cite web|title=mathematica: a world of numbers... |url=http://www.designboom.com/eng/funclub/mathematica.html |work=DesignBoom |publisher=designboom.com |access-date=14 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120221224931/http://www.designboom.com/eng/funclub/mathematica.html |archive-date=21 February 2012 }}</ref> Furthermore, it is the only one of the dozens of exhibitions designed by the Office of Charles and Ray Eames that is still extant. This original ''Mathematica'' exhibition was reassembled for display at the Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, July 30 through October 1, 2000. It is now owned by and on display at the New York Hall of Science, though it currently lacks the overhead plaques with quotations from mathematicians that were part of the original installation.<ref name=Nysci>{{cite web|title=Mathematica|url=http://nysci.org/mathematica/|publisher=New York Hall of Science|access-date=6 March 2016}}</ref>

===Duplicates===
In November, 1961 an exact duplicate was made for Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, where it was shown until late 1980. From there it was sold and relocated to the Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts, where it is permanently on display. In January 2014, the exhibit temporarily closed to undergo a much-needed year-long refurbishment, and reopened in a new location at the Museum of Science in April 2015. The Boston installation bears the closest resemblance to the original Eames design, including numerous overhead plaques featuring historic quotations from famous mathematicians.<ref name=MOSBoston>{{cite web|title=Mathematica|url=http://www.mos.org/exhibits/mathematica|work=Museum of Science|publisher=The Museum of Science, Boston|access-date=2015-05-08}}</ref> As part of the refurbishment, a graphic panel was added to supplement the History Wall timeline to recognize the contributions of both men and women mathematicians of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.  

Another copy was made for the IBM Pavilion at the 1964/1965 New York World's Fair.<ref name="NY Exhibit">Mathematician Moon Duchin mentions the ''Mathematica'' exhibit at the World's Fair on page 28 of her paper "The Sexual Politics of Genius", University of Chicago [http://mduchin.math.tufts.edu/genius.pdf].</ref> Subsequently, it was briefly on display in Manhattan, and was then installed in the Pacific Science Center in Seattle where it stayed until 1980. It was briefly re-installed in New York City at the 590 Madison Ave IBM Headquarters Building, before being moved to SciTrek in Atlanta, but that organization was shut down in 2004 due to funding cuts. The exhibit was then shipped to Petaluma, California to Lucia Eames, the daughter of the original designers. {{asof|2015}}, the exhibit has been acquired by the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.<ref name="Ford">{{cite web|title=Henry Ford museum acquires Eames' Mathematica exhibit|url=https://www.liveauctioneers.com/news/top-news/museums/henry-ford-museum-acquires-eames-mathematica-exhibit/|website=Auction Central News|publisher=LiveAuctioneers|access-date=2018-03-06|date=20 March 2015}}</ref>

==Exhibits==
Some of the displays are minimally interactive, in that they start to operate at the push of a button. Other displays are motorized and run continuously, or operate automatically on a fixed cycle as long as power is supplied. The moving display elements combine with noise made by balls falling through the probability machine, to fill the exhibit space with an atmosphere of continuous activity.

* Large-scale [[Bean machine|bean machine]] showing the [[Binomial distribution|binomial distribution]] as an approximation of the [[Normal distribution|normal distribution]] in [[Probability theory|probability theory]]
* [[Möbius strip]] with a motorized red arrow that can trace a complete circuit of the one-sided surface
* A curved funnel-shaped surface modeling a gravitational well using ball bearings orbiting in ellipses
* A three-dimensional cube illustrating the concept of multiplication
* [[Soap bubble]]s and films, as examples of [[Minimal surface|minimal surface]]s
* Mechanical linkages, such as the [[Physics:Sarrus linkage|Sarrus linkage]]
* [[Topology|Topological surface]]s, such as the [[Klein bottle]]
* Models showing perspective and geometric [[Projection (mathematics)|projection]]
* Wall-spanning [[Timeline|timeline]] of the history of mathematical thought and discoveries
* An arrangement of strings and lights demonstrating [[Conic section]]s (Unique to the IBM Pavilion/The Henry Ford exhibit)
* An automated dice game demonstrating [[Random walk]] (Unique to the IBM Pavilion/The Henry Ford exhibit)

In addition, large placards hang from the ceiling, carrying interesting quotations from famous mathematicians. Some installations have omitted this feature, although it was an integral part of the original exhibition.

==''Men of Modern Mathematics'' poster==
In 1966, five years after the opening of the Mathematica Exhibit, IBM published a {{convert|2|x|12|ft|m|adj=on}} [[Timeline|timeline]] poster, titled ''Men of Modern Mathematics''. It was based on the items displayed on the exhibit's History Wall, and free copies were distributed to schools.  The timeline covered the period from 1000 AD to approximately 1950 AD, and the poster featured biographical and historical items, along with numerous pictures showing progress in various areas of science, including architecture. The mathematical items in this chart were prepared by Professor Raymond Redheffer of UCLA.<ref name="obit">{{cite web |last1=Gamelin |first1=Theodore W. |title=Raymond Redheffer |url=https://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/_files/inmemoriam/html/raymondredheffer.htm |website=senate.universityofcalifornia.edu |access-date=29 January 2021 |date=2005}}</ref> Long after the chart was distributed, mathematics departments around the world have proudly displayed this chart on their walls.<ref name="obit" />

In 2012, IBM Corporation released a free [[Engineering:IPad|iPad]] application, ''Minds of Modern Mathematics'', based on the poster but updated to the present, including expanded coverage of women mathematicians. The app was developed by IBM with the assistance of the Eames Office.<ref name=iPadApp>{{cite web|title=Free iPad App from IBM and Eames Office, Reinvents Iconic '60s-Era Infographic on History of Math|url=http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/37247.wss|work=IBM News Room|publisher=IBM Corporation|access-date=14 May 2012}}</ref> {{asof|2018|03}}, the app has not been updated to run on current versions of [[Software:IOS|iOS]], which only support 64-bit code.

==See also==
* Museum of Mathematics – a permanent museum of mathematics, in Manhattan, New York City

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100623083120/http://www.artcenter.edu/mathematica/images7.html Mathematica exhibit in QuickTime VR] &mdash; as it appeared in a 2000 showing at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California
*[http://whimsicalwill.tripod.com/CMSI.html CMSI] Remembering the California Museum of Science & Industry
*[http://www.mos.org/exhibits_shows/current_exhibits&d=1228 Mathematica Exhibit at the Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts]



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