Watch Out for the Flying Guitars

You can make art out of just about anything – as we see here at the Washington Convention Center, you can even use musical instruments and furniture. These sculptures are made of guitars, kayaks, bicycles and bar stools. Any time you repeat a shape to make a pattern, you’re making art using math. Just make sure you stick it really well to the ceiling.

Wee ones: How many kayaks does that blue sculpture have?

Little kids: If you made your own triangle sculpture of 3 bicycles, how many wheels would they have?  Bonus: If a sculpture has 4 bicycles with 2 wheels each and 3 unicycles with just 1 wheel each, how many wheels are in that sculpture?

Big kids: There are 30 guitars in that ring. If you strum the 1st of those 30 guitars, then every 4th guitar after that, will you strum that 1st guitar when you go around once?  Bonus: Those are all 4-legged stools in that 26-stool statue. How many legs do they have in total?

Answers:
Wee ones: 5 kayaks.

Little kids: 6 wheels.  Bonus: 11 wheels – 4 x 2 for the bicycles, plus 3 unicycle wheels.

Big kids: Not quite – you’ll strum the 29th, then jump to the 3rd.  Bonus: 104 stool legs.

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