flickr / Lisa Andres

Credit: flickr / Lisa Andres

Last night some 2000 New Yorkers descended on the iconic Flatiron building to help the Museum of Math celebrate the wedge-shaped structure's conformation to the Pythagorean theorem. About 450 geometry enthusiasts held fluorescent glow sticks along the perimeter of the skyscraper while an energetic crowd—often sporting triangle-themed paraphernalia—raised a few cheers for geometry. Museum staffers counted the number of glow sticks on each side of the building to prove that the skyscraper conformed to the theorem.

If you've forgotten your high school geometry, the Pythagorean theorem is the fundamental statement that the square of a right triangle's hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of its other two sides. So, when the side lengths of a right triangle are labeled a, b, and c, the Pythagorean theorem may be written as the equation a2 + b2 = c2.

There are a few cases in which the theorem works with integers; a set of three integers that works is called a Pythagorean triple. One such triple is 5, 12, and 13—or, written another way, 12/05/13. Thus, yesterday was the perfect day for a Pythagorean demonstration.

Still, Cindy Lawrence, co-executive director of MoMath, was apprehensive. "We figured we probably wouldn't get 200 people," she said. When more than 2000 triangle fans registered for the event online, Lawrence found herself rationing glow sticks. She shook her head in wonder. "Would you have thought that you could get thousands of people to celebrate mathematics?"

And the throngs of participants surrounding the Flatiron were a diverse bunch. Three students from the Young Women's Leadership School in East Harlem waved paper triangles, and confessed that their math teacher had promised them extra credit for attending the event. An elderly couple brandished their glow sticks while wildly shouting Euclidean chants. Parents looked on as toddlers with triangles painted on their cheeks sipped complimentary hot cocoa.

The museum projected a light show of triangles and numbers onto the side of the Flatiron building, while volunteers announced their final calculations: 75 glow sticks on Side A, 180 glow sticks on Side B, and 195 glow sticks on Side C—a Pythagorean masterpiece.

For the executive directors of MoMath, however, the event was less about proving a theorem than it was about proving that math can be accessible and fun. "We see our mission as one of inspiration," Glen Whitney, museum co-executive director, said. "We try to defuse the angst related to mathematics."

Lawrence agreed. "There is always an educational mission in what we do," she said. "Here, we're educating them that math is cool."

After the crowd had dispersed, MoMath volunteer Michael Poris helped to collect hot coca containers. As he hauled away the empty urns, Poris confessed that he was unsure of how many cups of cocoa had been consumed.

"But at 4 cubic feet per container," he said. "You could probably do the math."

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