Spinning Arms in Motion:
Exploring Mathematics within the Art of Figure Skating
by: Tetyana Berezovski, Diana Cheng, and Rachel Damiano
SUMMARY: The article "Spinning Arms in Motion" explores mathematical modeling through the art of figure skating, specifically focusing on the upright spin. The study uses a bird’s-eye view to simplify arm movements during the spin’s acceleration phase. The authors present two dynamic models using Geometer’s Sketchpad (GSP) software. In Model 1, Only the lower arm moves. This model teaches proportional reasoning, scale factors, and regression by having students calculate real-life dimensions from diagram measurements and create scatterplots of arm positions over time. In Model 2, both upper and lower arms are in motion. This advanced model incorporates trigonometry and circular geometry, requiring students to solve triangles, calculate arc lengths, and analyze the symmetry of the "pentagonal" position formed when hands cross. Ultimately, the activities demonstrate how middle and secondary-level mathematics, including algebra and geometry, can explain the physical and aesthetic components of skating performance. By simplifying complex real-life movements, students learn to apply mathematical concepts to athletic phenomena.
STOP #1: “Contexts of interest to students include art and sports” (Berezovski et al., 2016).
Although this may not be 100% true, it is definitely try for a grand majority of students. Many are either fully into the arts, or sports, or both. This short article has made me start reflecting of the math involved in other sports and how bringing that into my classroom could impact the interest and motivational rates in math.
STOP#2: I have always loved watching figure skaters and I have close friends who compete in this sport. I have never thought about the mathematical component of figure staking and how the symmetry and slight change in angle could change the result of a spin. This was a really interesting article to read and learn about the math behind something I have been watching my whole life.
QUESTION: Have you ever taught math through a sport? Is yes, which sport and how? If no, which would you choose and what component and mathematical concept would you focus on?
It is true that many students are interested into sports and art. I think that even if students do not have any particular interest in those topics, teaching mathematics or learning mathematics through arts and sports seems more like a game than traditional worksheets. In our previous course, we learned that play is a mathematical virtue developed by mathematics (Su, 2020). We also learned that students are more engaged when the mathematics feels like playing, and can even reach a state of flow: deep focus (Francis, 2019). The description of your activity feels like you were engaged and focus in it, even if art might not be your favorite thing to do. In brief, teaching mathematics through arts and sports can engage students by being in their interests, or can engage students by being more game-like.
ReplyDeleteReferences:
Francis, K. (2019). Play and Mathematics. Journal of the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies, 17(1), 75–89. https://doi.org/10.25071/1916-4467.40437
Su, F. E. (2020). Mathematics for human flourishing. Yale University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvt1sgss