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Mathematical Treasures: Smithsonian National Museum of American History Object Groups

Historical mathematical objects are found in collections throughout the 19 museums and galleries that comprise the Smithsonian Institution (along with the National Zoological Park and 9 research facilities). As curators, staff, and volunteers pursue an Institution-wide goal to digitize over 138 million artifacts and specimens and over 2 million library volumes, an ever-growing number of the mathematical objects may be found in the Smithsonian's Collections Search Center.

The National Museum of American History (NMAH) has made it even easier to identify and locate similar types of objects by featuring Object Groups on its website. (For an explanation of object groups, see the article by Amy Ackerberg-Hastings and Amy Shell-Gellasch, "Online Museum Collections in the Mathematics Classroom.") Convergence's Mathematical Treasures feature at least one object from each of these groups; the page for each object includes a link to the complete object group at NMAH.

These images may be used for instructional and educational purposes; for all other uses, please obtain permission from NMAH's Archives Center.

 

Mathematical Treasures from NMAH Object Groups

 

"Mathematical Treasures: Smithsonian National Museum of American History Object Groups," Convergence (April 2016)

Mathematical Treasures: Smithsonian National Museum of American History Object Groups