Maths School Trip to Paris

A WST tour to Paris can support the study of elements of the following exam board specifications:

CITE DES SCIENCE

The City of Science and Industry is the biggest science museum in Europe. About five million people visit the Cité each year!

Mathematics exhibition

Covering three millennia of mathematical history, the Mathematics exhibition is characterised by a desire to make maths more concrete and user-friendly, with a selection of tangible and interactive objects. It is the ideal place for your maths school trip to Paris.

It is divided into two sections:

1. Geometry, numbers and movement

The first section puts geometry or rather, geometries in pride of place:

• The geometry of shapes
• The geometry of transformations
• Non-Euclidean geometry
• Analytical geometry

 2. Complexity and prediction

The second section deals with contemporary applications of mathematics in various scientific fields, including social sciences. There is a focus is on probability and statistics, in particular: 

• Brownian movement: interactive display showing unpredictable movement. 
• Galton box: object introducing Gaussian curves through the experimental distribution of 256 marbles. 
• Multimedia display on Surveys and statistics that asks visitors to participate in an enquiry, introducing them to statistical tools.

Real world analysis and modelling allow us to simulate the development of situations that are impossible to reproduce or too expensive to try. Includes…

• Le Chaoteur: interactive clock on the question of sensitivity to initial conditions.
• Turbulent fountain: twelve small pots with holes attached to a mobile wheel pass under a water source, causing the wheel to move in unpredictable ways.
• Fractals, a multimedia display that allows you to visualise the construction of three known fractal curves before creating your own fractal.

These three films under the collective title The Spirit of Mathematics are dotted around the exhibition space:

• Demonstration (on the central work on mathematics invented by the Greeks)
• Modelling (on the distinction made by mathematicians between real objects and their mathematical description)
• The mathematicians' village, where researchers talk about their mathematical work, their profession and the community of mathematicians.

 Other Permanent Exhibitions

There are several other fascinating permanent exhibitions in the museum which are all worth exploring during your maths Paris school trip. These include;

• Br4in
• Transport and Mankind
• Energy
• The Great Story of the Universe
• Innovations
• Sounds
• Pinholes
• Light Games
• Man and Genes

Watch daily demonstrations and explore the universe with a visit to the planetarium.

MONTPARNASSE 56 TOWER

Montparnasse 56 have created a fantastic new maths educational tool for KS3. A worksheet is tailored specifically for KS3 secondary pupils and one for teachers. These are available to download for free from the Montparnasse 56 website: Montparnasse 

An ascent to the top of this 196m building is very popular as the views are incredible and include the best view of the Eiffel Tower and interactive screens.

THE PALACE OF DISCOVERY

The ‘Palais de la découverte’ is committed to presenting and demonstrating science as it is lived and experienced, through a collection of interactive experiences and spectacular demonstrations. It is "science in the making".

Presentations address six fundamental domains of science (mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, physics, life sciences, earth sciences,) and develop specific themes.

Three Permanent Mathematics Exhibitions

1. The π exhibition: The π exhibition of the Palais de la découverte, famous throughout the world, receives many visitors and school groups of all levels each year.The 704 decimal places on display since 1950 (just like the 10,000 billion calculated today) are of no particular practical, or even mathematical, interest. However, the methods of calculating them and the search for powerful algorithms to produce these records are fascinating.

2. The Mathematics Balcony: There are pictures throughout this section on the theme of "Patrice Jeener explores mathematics". The exhibition presents:

• 8 displays about "polyhedrons"
• Probability and statistics

3. Symmetry Exhibition: What link is there between a Muslim Arab fresco, a piece of glass, a starfish, a molecule of water and a prelude by Johann Sebastian Bach? They all contain symmetry. What is symmetry? How can you recognise symmetry in an object? Why should we study it?

Multimedia, discovery through touch, objects to be handled, musical book and more. This interactive exhibition explores the idea of symmetry, making connections between the worlds of mathematics, the arts and other scientific disciplines.

Other Permanent Exhibitions

The other excellent permanent exhibitions which may be of interest for STEM school groups are:

• Astronomy & Astrophysics
• Physics
• Chemistry
• Geoscience

STADE DE FRANCE

Consider seating capacity, and a host of dimensions as an official Stade de France® tour guide escorts you around this historic venue. Always a favourite with school groups, you’ll enjoy an hour and a half tour of the home of the 2016 European Championship final, feel the locker rooms’ atmosphere and walk through the tunnel leading to the pitch. 

EXPLORADÔME

The STEM museum where it is forbidden not to touch!At this science and multimedia centre only 10 minutes coaching from Paris, you will discover scientific phenomena while having fun! 

Here you can enjoy science and multimedia activities and discover sustainable development in an interactive way, suitable for both children and adults.

Permanent exhibition: Try over 60 exciting hands-on experiments: create an artificial tornado, make a ball float in the air, discover a cloud maker machine, moving sand dunes and dozens of optical illusions that will amaze you!

Temporary exhibitions : Every year, the temporary exhibition  invites to explore a  new theme, through interactive displays and workshops : Urban Biodiversity, Science in circus, The human body, animated movies...

Workshops : The Exploradôme offers two kinds of exciting workshop classes: scientific and multimedia. Attending the multimedia workshops let you explore the virtual world, while the scientific ones let you touch, build and discover various experiments. The workshops are led by professional facilitators, and adapted to each age group.

Guided Tour of Paris

Enjoy the major sights and landmarks of the city during your school trip to Paris. WST can arrange for an experienced city guide to join your coach or take you about the city on foot.

Eiffel Tower

Visit the most iconic landmark in Paris where students can take the lift to the top to see amazing views of the city.

Montparnasse Tower

Similar to the Eiffel Tower, the Montparnasse Tower offers panoramic views of Paris but is not as busy so queuing times are shorter. It also provides good audio and visual interactive facilities - which gives students the opportunity to improve language skills.

Seine River Cruise

The Seine River Cruise is a one-hour cruise - taking students from the Eiffel Tower to Notre Dame and back. The cruise is a relaxing way to see the sights and has either French or English commentary. This tour can also be done in the evening, giving students the chance to see the city at night.

FlyView Paris

A unique experience which allows your group to explore the exceptional places and monuments Paris has to offer, such as the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower and  world as you have never seen them. where, with a virtual reality headset, in 360 ° immersion with or without a simulator, you will be immersed in incredible places as if you were really there.

Disneyland® Paris

Disneyland® Paris is a unique destination with two Disney Parks that are home to more than 50 attractions, shows and parades.

Disneyland® Park

The Disneyland® has five themed areas that are filled with classic Disney stories and fairy tales featuring characters old and new. 

Walt Disney Studios® Park

In this Park students have the opportunity to experience what it is like to become a star of stage and screen.

A West End show is a great opportunity to reward students – regardless of what they are studying. WST can arrange theatre packages for all tours and students of all ages.

Parc Astérix

Parc Astérix is located 30km North of Paris and is based on the famous characters from the Astérix comics. It offers a variety of attractions including white-knuckle rides and themed shows. 

Montmartre And Sacré Coeur

This artistic area of Paris is filled with street artists and stalls. A visit here during your Paris school tour is a wonderful way to soak up the culture and being high up it gives students great views of the city.

Notre Dame Cathedral

The Notre Dame is a famous Gothic cathedral at the heart of Paris and gives students the chance to experience the religious side of Paris.  

Château Versailles

Château Versailles is a UNESCO world heritage site and the scene for many historic events. There are a number of different tours depending on the time you have available but can include the palace and the gardens or Marie Antoinette’s estate. Most student groups choose to visit the palace with an audio guide and then explore the famous gardens. 

Aquaboulevard

This large indoor water park has wave pools, slides and a range of indoor activities – making it the perfect place to take students in the evening.

Bowling

Many educational tours choose to take their students bowling in the evening. We can arrange a bowling night at a variety of locations depending on where you are staying.

Restaurants

WST can organise evening meals in the city to suit everyone. The most popular choices for students are:

• Hard Rock Café
• Le Saulnier
• Auberge Père Louis
• Flunch
• Flams
• Montecarlo

In addition, the Disneyland® Paris Restaurants have a range of restaurants, including:

• Planet Hollywood®
• Rainforest Café®
• Buffalo Bills Wild West Show
• Earl of Sandwich
• Disney Lunch or Evening Meal (meal vouchers to use at counter service restaurants)