Maths Trails at Cultural and Heritage Sites

Many museums, galleries, and other heritage sector sites offer trails for visitors (including booked school groups and members of the public). Trails are a great way to help visitors of all stripes to structure a visit in an engaging way, and can be used to provide additional - or different - context, and to draw attention to particular themes.

One possible use of a trail activity is to encourage the use of mathematical skills to analyse whatever the trail guides them towards, or to highlight the role of mathematics in the objects and stories encountered where the exhibitions themselves may not have been designed with this in mind.

Prompted by a post in a TMiP chat group and a similar conversation on a GEM discussion list I thought I'd collate some of the examples and supporting resources in one place: I know that users of museums and galleries often seek out maths-related activities and events; and an increasing number of sector organisations are looking to develop their own, so I hope that this compilation might be useful for people in either camp.

Maths trails in action

These are maths trails out in the real world that I'm currently aware of, listed in alphabetical order of the organisation that offers them:

Edinburgh: The University of Edinburgh's Maths Outreach team created this digital interactive Discover Edinburgh's Mathematical History trail: browse from the comfort of your own home, or fire up your phone (assuming you've got a good data plan) and march across the streets of Edinburgh. (Google Maps link)

Museum on the Mound (Edinburgh): I'm told that The Money Maths at the Museum trail is popular with school groups, and that they occasionally bring it out for public use, e.g. during Maths Week Scotland. If you'd like them to offer a maths trail for general visitors, it wouldn't hurt to let them know. (Google Maps link)

National Museum of Scotland (Edinburgh): The A World of Maths Trail is downloadable as a .pdf. It's targeted at teachers to use to print for their students and bring to enrich a school trip to the site, but there's absolutely nothing to stop anyone else using it, and the teachers notes available from that page are useful outside that demographic too. (Google Maps link)

The Science Museum (London): Their Maths Activity Trail is a downloadable .pdf that aims to support visitors as they work their way through the Winton Mathematics Gallery and Science City 1550 – 1800: The Linbury Gallery. It's aimed at teachers, but as its offered as a free public download there's nothing to stop anyone making the most of it. (Google Maps Link)

Scotland (various locations plus location-independent resources): Each year an increasing number of museums and galleries offer mathematical activities including trails for Maths Week Scotland, which usually takes place towards the end of September. The Maths Week Scotland website lists activity packs and learning resources for schools (freely and openly accessible regardless of whether you represent a school or not); a community learning resource; family activities to do at home; and events offered by a host of museums, galleries, and other organisations across Scotland. Many of the events listed are exclusively offered during Maths Week Scotland, so do make sure you get in touch with your local sites and let them know that you'd like the option to experience maths in museums during the other 51 weeks of the year too!

York Minster: Their Maths Quest trail is available either as a .pdf downloaded from their website, or their Learning Resources page (which lists this along with trails on other themes) says that you can 'collect them at the Welcome Desk when you arrive.' (Google Maps link)

Your local museum or gallery: If your favourite local site isn't listed here and you'd like it to be, then get in touch with them and let them know that you want their help to explore the maths in their stories, objects and exhibitions. When I ask people who work for a museum or gallery why they don't offer resources to help visitors engage with the mathematics that's just out of site, they usually tell me it's because nobody asks them to...

So ask them to!

• Does your organisation offer a maths trail that you think should be featured here? 
• Is anything listed here out of date (e.g. a link is broken or a site no longer offers a listed trail)?

If so, post a comment or get in touch.

Resources for people interested in creating their own maths trails

University of Bath Cryptography Challenge case study (from Maths Engagement Case Studies): https://katiesteckles.co.uk/casestudies/CS_Bath-Crypto-Competition.html

Math in the City: Designing a Math Trail for High School Students (chapter 4 of Handbook of Mathematical Science Communication): https://ionicasmeets.com/Publicaties/1887_3567511-2023-Bossema-Zwetsloot-Smeets_Book_chapter_Math_trail.pdf

• Do you know about an excellent resource aimed at helping people to create maths trails that isn't listed here?
• Are any of these resources no longer available (e.g. a link is broken)?

If so, post a comment or get in touch.

Books That Are About Maths, But Not About Teaching It

In the spirit of getting straight to the point without providing my entire life history, please click below for a list of books that are about maths, but not about teaching it. Read beyond the link if you'd like a bit of context.

Click here to see the list of Books that Are About Maths, But Not About Teaching It

The list has been put together at The StoryGraph^[2]: it can be browsed without creating an account and it can be searched, sorted and filtered, which I thought would be helpful as there are over 160 books.

Peter Briggs: 26/04/1952 - 25/06/2024

My dad, Peter Briggs, died in the early hours of 25th June 2024 and we held his funeral yesterday, 22nd July. some of those who were able to attend have requested a copy of the eulogy and readings, and some of those who unfortunately could not join us in person have expressed an interest in hearing more about them too, so I thought it might be nice to preserve some of what happened at our celebration of Peter Briggs. The number of people who were able to attend was astonishing and he would have been overwhelmed by the gathering of well-wishers who came to say goodbye with us. The number of ex-colleagues alone, considering that he retired five years ago, was testament to the effect he'd had during his 49 years working in the same building.

Dad's favourite treat was chocolate raisins, so I bought three kilograms of them and shared them between nearly one hundred (Moody) blue organza wedding-favour bags to give out to attendees.

Maths in Museums: Museum of London Docklands

Edit: Since posting this, the Museum of London has re-branded itself as London Museum, meaning that the Museum of London Docklands is now London Museum Docklands.

One of the great things about working as a consultant in the heritage sector is that it often takes me to museums, galleries and heritage sites that I might not otherwise have got around to visiting. This time it was the Museum of London Docklands, located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The museum itself is nestled towards the North-West extent of the Isle of Dogs, which is the peninsula delineated by that famous wiggle^[1] in London's section of the Thames. It played host to the West India Docks which first opened in 1802 and closed for business in 1980^[2] to be redeveloped into the area now known as Canary Wharf.

Maths in Museums: Stonehenge

On Saturday morning I crested a hill on the A303 just past Amesbury and my brain yelled something that I imagine a million and more brains, over thousands of years, have yelled before mine:

"What the hell is that!?"

It did this despite having made a special trip to the area to see that which caused the outburst, and it wasn't even the first time it had done so. As old as the pyramids (or thereabouts) and at once out of place yet totally fitting, Stonehenge is a phenomenal thing to see rising out of the Wiltshire countryside - even when you're expecting it.

A photograph of Stonehenge, taken by me, but looking for all the world like a cardboard cutout on a movie set.

I love museums and heritage sites of all shapes, sizes and themes, but Stonehenge has always commanded a particular fascination. I'm neither religious nor spiritual, but visiting always feels like something of a pilgrimage. I work with museums and I'm also a maths communicator, both of which affect the way I look at cultural experiences: this post is intended to document some of the thoughts I had regarding the potential of Stonehenge's story for enriching mathematical understanding (and vice-versa).