SCI 2330 ART, ARCHITECTURE, MATH & SCIENCE IN RENAISSANCE ITALY
Students will explore various topics in math and science which are found explicitly or implicitly in Renaissance art, architecture, and technology. In particular, they will investigate the following topics:
o Number systems;
o The “Golden Mean” and the Fibonacci Sequence as applied in Renaissance architecture;
o Mathematics of Finance in the Renaissance
o Mathematics and the art of perspective
o Geometry in Renaissance art and design
o Renaissance art and the advancement of anatomical knowledge
o Galileo’s Law of Free Fall
o The physical properties of light as used in Renaissance art
o Advancements of agricultural technology in the Renaissance.
Students will see how math was integrated with science in the Renaissance masterpieces . We will visit art museums in Florence to see how physics and math were used by the masters, Pisa to see where Galileo did his famous gravity experiments and Milan where there is a math, science, and technology museum which features some of Leonardo Da Vinci’s inventions. Students will travel to a farm and learn about agricultural technology that helped facilitate the Renaissance. We will also study Florence’s bridges and fountains.