Connect Science & Technology in Math Lessons

My wife and I visited family in in England, Scotland and South Wales, and so had opportunities to visit various sites near where family members live. Two of these locations are featured in this week’s podcast.

Stonehenge

First, Stonehenge, in Wiltshire. This site was built in pre-historic times, meaning that its precise origins were not recorded in writing and so working out why it is there, how it was constructed and what it meant at the time can only be deduced by experts in archaeology and history.

Cardiff Castle

Later in our trip, we had a trip to Cardiff, and a local historical site, Cardiff Castle. I can thoroughly recommend it as a fun day out for families or couples. The main castle building itself has some beautifully furnished rooms, and, for royal watchers, some nice connections with the Royal Family.

Outside there is a Keep (small tower) on top of a steep mound, called a “motte”, which the energetic can climb up, including climbing some really steep stairs to the top of the keep.

Now, in the grounds of the castle is a working trebuchet, which apparently was constructed for use in the 2011 movie Ironclad (click to see trailers – including shots of the trebuchets). The castle asked if they could have it when the movie was finished, and there it is. The machine is “fired” (is that what you call it?) periodically for the public. We missed seeing it shot by one day – what a shame. Still, I got to stand in front of it uninterrupted to talk about science, technology and math.