Visualize Pi [tumblr.com] is a mural project that aimed to use popular mathematics to connect Brooklyn students to the community with a visualization of Pi. It was funded by a successful KickStarter projectas proposed by visual artist artist Ellie Balk, The Green School Students, staff and Assistant Principal Nathan Affield.
The mural seems to consist of different parts. A reflective line graph, reminiscent of a sound wave, represents the number Pi (3.14159…) by way of colors that are coded by the sequence of the prime numbers found in Pi (2,3,5,7), as well as height.
Additionally, a golden spiral was drawn based on the Fibonacci Sequence, as an exploration of the relationship between the golden ratio and Pi. The number Pi was represented in a color-coded graph within the golden spiral. In this, the numbers are seen as color blocks that vary in size proportionately within the shrinking space of the spiral, representing the ‘shape’ of Pi.
“By focusing on the single, transcendental concept of Pi across courses, the mathematics department plans to not only deepen student understanding of shape and irrational number, but more importantly, connect these foundational mental schema for students while dealing with the concrete issues of neighborhood beautification and how proportion can inform aesthetic which can in turn improve quality of life.“
A few more similar urban / public visualization projects can be found at Balk’s project page, e.g. showing weather patterns, emotion histograms or sound waves.
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