Drexel Prof. Makes Philly Art Museum App


Mary Jo Grdina, an associate clinical professor in Drexel’s School of Education, has created a new iPad app that seeks to prove that “physics principles can be found everywhere, even [at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.] A description of “Physics in Art” from developers:

Several pieces of art currently found in the Philadelphia Museum of Art are examined closely. Some background material on each piece is given. Using interactive animations and video segments, physics principles associated with each object are explored:

• The Diana Statue is used to demonstrate Newton’s Third Law.

• Several famous paintings are used to explain how we see color.

• The huge Calder mobile is used to teach rotational equilibrium.

• Swords from the Arms and Armor collection illustrate the importance of the location of the Center of Mass when wielding a weapon.

For now, the app is only available for iPad users. You can download it for free in Apple’s app store, here. Check out some screen capture below:

Source: Philadelphia Business Journal