Over January, I helped my mom decorate her new home in Savannah, Georgia. The most difficult and time-consuming task was hanging her large, ornately framed pieces of artwork strategically throughout the house. One of the most difficult aspects of filling a large wall with multiple pieces of art is determining exactly where the piece should be centered in terms of the other pieces on the wall and in terms of wall height and length. As we worked together, I realized that my mathematically precise and detail-oriented eye gave me an advantage over my mom’s artistic eye, which tended to tune out small detail for the larger visualization of the wall as a whole.
Literacy in mathematical thought combined with a base knowledge of carpentry enabled my mom and I to hang pieces of art that weighed as much as seventy-five pounds. The best way to hang heavy objects is to ensure that the hanging object is embedded into a vertical wall stud. In order to find the stud, a stud finder could be utilized. However, most carpenters, and some keen homeowners, are able to determine the exact position of wall studs using math. A stud is a 2X4 piece of lumber that creates a sturdy frame for the structure. Depending on the age of the structure, a stud typically exists at each wall corner, on both sides of every door and window frame, and every 16 inches on center throughout the wall. Therefore, with a tape measurer and a pencil, anyone with math literacy should be able to find a stud.
This photograph illustrates the process of finding a stud in a wall. By measuring sixteen inches from the wall corner, and verifying the measurement with a series of knocking to determine where hollow areas and solid areas exist, the location of the wall stud can be determined. The photo also demonstrates the importance of math literacy in real-world tasks.
In this example, math literacy is an ability to visualize geometric structures that hold together houses combined with the appropriate and precise application of conceptual understanding with procedural fluency of basic math operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. While these ideas are used for the simple task of hanging pictures, more intricate applications of the same principle are used in every phase of home building and repair. Just as incorrect or inappropriate uses of math in the task of hanging a picture can result in the picture falling and breaking, incorrect math in the design of a home can lead to structural failure.
Wow, Kendra! This is really interesting. Although I knew that studs were evenly placed inside the wall, I didn't know that you could find them without the use of a stud finder. This is a really cool, everyday connection to mathematical literacy. Well done.
ReplyDeleteKendra. Is it inappropriate to say through a blog that I love you? I had no IDEA that one can find studs that way. I like how you didn't just explain a type of literacy, but you actually made me literate, too. You're a smart cookie. The last time I tried to find a stud, I ended up drilling holes everywhere and never did find it. I also enjoyed your connection to art. We both have to visualize, don't we?
ReplyDeleteI think there's a strong connection between math and art and music, too. I'm not the only one who thinks this, either; advocates for the arts in education (those people who give their hearts and souls to arguing that music, theater and art should NOT be cut from school budgets), regularly refer to research that demonstrates a strong link between the arts and math.
ReplyDeleteKendra's post also reminds me of how easy it is to make math meaningful and memorable when we create learning opportunities (jargon alert!) based on real-life situations.