The National Museum of Mathematics
225 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
(212) 542-0566
https://www.facebook.com/MoMath1/
Open: Sunday-Saturday 10:00am-5:00pm
Fee: Adults $25.00/Seniors-Children-Students $20.00/Members are Free
My review on TripAdvisor:
The Museum of Mathematics at 225 Fifth Avenue
In 2020, COVID had closed this unique little family orientated museum when I visited the NoMAD neighborhood earlier last year and it finally reopened for business right before the holidays. I could see the reasons why in that the museum is very interactive and there are a lot of activities and displays that warrant families touching objects and getting involved with the exhibitions.
The entrance to the new museum at 225 Fifth Avenue
Like most museums in Manhattan, the MoMATH or the Museum of Mathematics is quite pricey at $25.00 ($26.00) for an adult and for students, children over 12 and seniors over 60 it is $20.00. While it may be lot for an average family, a trip there is an eye-opening experience at least to me it was that day.
The sign welcoming you on Fifth Avenue
In 2021 when it reopened, the museum was two full floors of exhibitions with a spiral staircase separating the floors and a gift shop at the entrance. On the main floor there are interesting interactive exhibitions such as the Shapes of Space that show how different shapes fit together on a curved surface. I was not too sure what the point of it was, but the kids seemed to enjoy it and it was interesting to see how they connected. The Square wheeled Trike was interesting as you rode a square wheeled type of bike on a bumpy surface to check velocity. The kids and young parents really liked this.
The “Shapes of Space” exhibition
In 2024, the museum was moved around the corner until the permanent location could be finished. The museum was on one floor with a art gallery in the front of the museum and the back of the museum was all the interactive activities.
The Math “Fractorals” Gallery Exhibit at the Museum of Math
The “Fluids and Fractals” exhibition of artist Karl Sims
The Art Gallery exhibition
The art in the Gallery
The art gallery at the Museum of Mathematics
‘Light Grooves’ by artist Matthew Brandt
Artist Matthew Brandt
Matthew Brandt is an American born artist. Matthew Brandt received his BFA from Cooper Union and MFA from UCLA. Brandt has been the subject of institutional solo shows at the Newark Museum, the Columbus Museum of Art, Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art and SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah (Artist bio).
“Light Grooves”
The interactive display
The interactive display
The displays I enjoyed in the old museum were Motionscape, where you had to walk as fast as you could on the track to check the relationship between velocity, your position and acceleration. It was interesting to see how your body movements when walking affects the way you react. The other display that was really popular was Hoop Curves which was always busy. The exhibit used statistics and a robot arm to shoot the basketball. The kids got a real kick out of this when trying to make a basket.
In 2021, the museum was two stories but in 2024, the museum moved to the new Fifth Avenue location and all the interactive displays were on the first floor, along with an explanation of the math along with the creators of the theory. I found that interesting because you could see who all the mathematicians were who the projects were based on or who had contributed to them.
I started with the “Self-Reflections” exhibit where shapes and sizes mattered, and the use of symmetrical patterns shaped our faces and observations. I got to see how the shapes altered my reflection in the mirrors.
The use of mirrors and shapes
The use of shapes and colors in the experiment
The signage
How we look at ourselves in the mirror
Taking pictures in the ‘mirror’
One of the first interactive displays that I enjoyed was the Tessellation Station, where you could create displays with magnetic tiles on a large board. Later I learned about Tessellation as a form of making shapes fit together in a pattern and then the theory behind that. It was a fun way to use your creativity. This exhibition was very popular in the old museum as well but had been a much bigger interactive display.
The “Tessellation Station” exhibition is a lot of fun
Another was the Tree of Life, where the computer copied the movements of myself and then used them to show the how I moved my arms and legs in a pattern. It was funny to see myself repeated over and over again like a tree with branches. It really did measure the movement of my body. This was a lot of fun because you got to see smaller versions of yourself attached to you.
Me playing with the Tree of Life
Me having fun by the Tree of Life exhibition
The Twist and Roll display showed how to put different shapes and sizes together and show their movement on the board.
The Twist and Roll hands on display
The one display that all the kids got a kick out of was the Math Board, where the colors and shapes of the section of the floor lit up when you walked on them and was controlled by the way you walked on them.
The “Math Morphing-Formula Morph” replaced the “Math Board”
The Museum of Mathematics is a great museum for younger children who want to get physical and have a good time and like the interaction. I learned a few things too about the fundamentals of math and some of its background theories.
The geometrics of the Museum of Mathematics
Still, it is a great museum for kids under the age of twelve and their younger parents. I think anything over that age would warrant a trip to the American Museum of Natural History or the Liberty Science Center with more exhibits that are age appropriate. It is a museum you should visit once or twice with small children who are at the learning stage and just want to have fun.
The Gift Shop
The Museum Gift Shop
The History of the National Museum of Mathematics:
(From the museum website)
The National Museum of Mathematics began in response to the closing of a small museum of mathematics on Long Island, the Goudreau Museum. A group of interested parties (the “working group”) met in August 2008 to explore the creation of a new museum of mathematics-one that would go well beyond the Goudreau in both its scope and methodology. The group quickly discovered that there was no museum of mathematics in the United States, and yet there was a incredible demand for hands0n math programming.
Interactive objects at the Museum of Mathematics
Accomplishments to date include: opening Manhattan’s only hands-on science center, welcoming more than one million visitors; creating the popular Math Midway exhibition, which has delighted millions of visitors at museums throughout the United States and internationally; leading math tours in various U.S. cities; running dozens of Math Encounters and Family Fridays events; delivering a broad array of diverse and engaging programs for students, teachers, and the public to increase appreciation of mathematics and creating the largest public outdoor demonstration of the Pythagorean Theorem ever.
The “Monkeying Around” exhibition at the museum
The Museum Mission:
(From the Museum website)
Mathematics illuminates the patterns that abound in our world. The National Museum of Mathematics strives to enhance public understanding and perception of mathematics. Its dynamic exhibits and programs stimulate inquiry, spark curiosity and reveal the wonders of mathematics. The Museum’s activities lead a broad and diverse audience to understand the evolving, creative, human and aesthetic nature of mathematics.
The “Weights and Balances” exhibition at the museum
Math Geographics
Video on the displays
The displays are so interesting
Visiting a Museum: The Unique, Unusual, Obscure and Historical 