A 15-year-old caught a major math error, proves teens are majorly smart
Need more proof that teens basically run the world? Check out what Joseph Rosenfeld discovered at the Boston Museum of Science. While on a family trip, Joseph attended the “Mathematica: A World of Numbers…and Beyond” exhibit. And uh, guys…he found a mistake in it.
This doesn’t seem possible, but it’s true. The Mathematica exhibit was created by Charles and Ray Eames in 1981. It features a display of the Golden Ratio equation, which is when the ratio of two numbers equals the ratio of their sum to the largest of the two numbers. This equation, which had been up on display for the past 35 years, messed up some of its pluses and minuses. It was a simple but crucial mistake that Joseph spotted, and reported to the front desk by leaving a note. He explained the error, and later, received a reply from Alana Parkes, the museum’s exhibit content developer. Alana conceded that Joseph was indeed correct, and that the museum would be amending the display to show the correct equation:
Well, phew! I wouldn’t feel too hot having a 35-year-old mistake sitting out for all to see. Joseph, as you’d expect, finds the whole thing pretty awesome. He told Boston.com: “It was cool. At first, I wasn’t sure, I thought maybe I had it wrong, but I was excited.”
This would be a nifty thing to put on your college application, which is lucky, because Joseph hopes to one day attend MIT. I bet they’d be preeetty interested in Joseph’s keen eye, but for now, maybe the Boston Museum of Science needs an intern?
(Image via Boston Museum of Science)
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