String Art: Creating, Constructing, and Computing

Abstract

This module includes an introduction to String Art and the work of Mary Everest Boole, followed by an application of optimization using string art in differential calculus.  It is designed to be flexible in its deployment in the classroom.  The first part requires no prerequisite knowledge and is an ideal opportunity to highlight marginalized mathematicians while engaging a general education audience in finding patterns related to modular arithmetic. It is formatted as a guided worksheet for student use.  The second part is a research question using Desmos and is formatted to guide the instructor supervising the research project. The module in its entirety is appropriate for a Calculus I audience to demonstrate another use for tangent lines that also provides an example of optimization beyond the traditional single-variable calculus optimization problems.