Italian memories of Palermo course from 15 to 21 March: travel diary, fractals creative lab, restoration lesson, seppo game

The course held in Palermo from March 15th to March 21st 2018 met the general objectives and was a stimulating experience for our school.

Students realized the close relationship between Geometry, Chemistry, Architecture and Restoration, they treated the fractals in the computer lab by means of an informatics application and then they looked at them on the plans of the Palatine Chapel and in the apses of the Cathedral of Monreale.

Later they made fractal models that were exhibited in the final exhibition. The students also studied the conic sections found in many artistic buildings such as theaters and churches and understood how the sound spreads better through these sections.

In the Academy of Fine Arts, in the Diocesan Museum and in the Oratory of S. Salvatore, the students met experts in restoration and in some cases they had the opportunity to carry out small activities of true restoration.

They also visited Santa Caterina where there is a restoration workshop and the Teatro Massimo which has a circular construction.

During the second TPM meeting teachers showed the platforms created, organized the second LTT in Iceland and shared the results.

We can say that the atmosphere among the teachers and between the students and the teachers was cheerful and fruitful and we will never forget this experience.

When you start studying mathematics you often approach difficult and boring concepts, but is it true?

We think it is a matter of perspective, but we studied fractals and conic sections to highlight the fascinating aspects of science. A new revolutionary idea of geometry explains the complexity of nature.

The fractal is a geometric shape characterized by the repetition of the same model on an ever smaller scale. A mountain, a coral, a plant are made up of smaller parts of similar shapes repeated endless times.

It is therefore a way to grasp the concept of infinity in nature, which has inspired literature, art and science. Fractal geometry is able to describe complex objects that are more common in nature than triangles or cubes. The whole universe is a large fractal, the same universe expressed by Heraclitus, that is chaos in order.

Let’s see how our students studied fractals and conic sections during the first day of mobility in Palermo