Between the Two Cultures: Teaching Math and Art to Engineers (and Scientists and Mathematicians)
Joshua Holden

Proceedings of Bridges 2023: Mathematics, Art, Music, Architecture, Culture
Pages 521–524
Short Papers

Abstract

In 2022 I helped develop and team-teach a class on “Sculpture and the Geometry of Three Dimensions”. The goal of the class was to show students the interplay between art and math with a focus on having them make physical objects. Most math and art classes I know of focus primarily on introducing liberal arts students to mathematics. In a STEM context, we wanted to instead build on the mathematical knowledge that our students already have. We intended for students to use their existing mathematical (and perhaps artistic) knowledge to reinforce new artistic (and perhaps mathematical) experiences. Ideally, the knowledge and experience gained would increase their appreciation for both the beauty of mathematics and the importance of art.

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