2019 FSU Math Fun Day and FSU Circus of Physics
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Saturday, February 2, 2019 at 10:00-5:00pm, FSU Main Campus
Love Building, 1017 Academic Way, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4510
Richards Building and the Pat Thomas Planetarium, 77 Chieftan Way, Tallahassee, FL 32306
The Department of Mathematics (FSU Math Fun Day) and The Department of Physics (FSU Circus of Physics) are combining forces to hold a joint Open House for the general public, including K-12 students and teachers. Come join us for some math and physics fun! There will be double the fun with presentations, exhibits, demonstration, and workshops. Activities are available for all ages in grades K-12, but students in kindergarten and grade 1 will need extra parental help. Activities will run until 5pm. There will be a public lecture from from 1-2pm that is geared for ages 9-99!
- FSU Math Fun Day will take place at the Love Building on the FSU Campus.
- FSU Circus of Physics will take place at the Richards Building and the Pat Thomas Planetarium.
- These buildings are within walking distance of each other. There will be also be activities located outdoors between the buildings to keep everyone engaged!
Schedule Overview
- 10:00-5:00pm - Various hands-on activities, including workshops and demonstrations.
- 1:00-2:00pm - Public Lecture -- Details to be announced soon.
Click here for Maps and Parking Information.
Please note that there is considerable construction occurring on the FSU Campus. There is construction along Antarctic Way and Cheiftan Way and these roads are not always accessible to through traffic.
Information about FSU Math Fun Day 2019
Do you want your children and families to experience mathematics in a fun
and engaging way? Come to FSU Math Fun Day. Each year, faculty, staff,
and student volunteers from the Department of Mathematics engage with the
community, including K-12 students and teachers to demonstrate that MATH is FUN! If you have not attended before,
we welcome you, and if you are returning, welcome back! The event is free and
open to the general public. This is our 6th annual Math Fun Day!
Follow
us on Facebook for more details!
Information about FSU Circus of Physics 2019
After a 7-year hiatus, the FSU Circus of Physics is back.
It is designed to generate interest in science for school-age children and their families through hands-on demonstrations and experiments, planetarium shows, and other fun (and educational) activities. Anyone and everyone is invited to attend and there is no cost to join us for any and all of the activities.
Please see FSU Circus
of Physcis for more details about specific events.
Hear more about Math Fun Day from a FSU Headlines Radio broadcast.
Come join us! Please check back often for event updates.
Dr. Monica K. Hurdal, Event Director and Professor in the Department of Mathematics
Email: MathFunDay@math.fsu.edu or mhurdal@math.fsu.edu
Phone: (850) 644-2202 (Department of Mathematics Main Office) or (850)-644-7183 (direct)
Sample Activites from Past Math Fun Day Events
Activity rooms are an open house style event, where people can come and go. Activity rooms will be open from 10:00-3:45pm, at which time they will begin to complete activities with existing guests so people can make their way to the Public Lecture. New activities are being planned and information will be posted soon.
- Fractals
Fractals are infinitely repeating patterns that are similar at every scale and occur in science and nature. Learn what fractals are, and come create your own in 2D and 3D using geometry or a computer!
Recommended for Grades 2 and up. - Video Room
Fun, short videos on mathematics, including Fibonacci Numbers and plants, hexaflexagons, juggling, and more! There are lots of amazing videos! Also a great place to sit and relax.
Recommended for all ages. - Exploring Polygons through Computer Programming
People young and old may come and go as they choose from the room, which has a limited capacity. Faculty and graduate students will be on hand to aid students in working through a set of programming challenges related to mathematical ideas about polygons in the Scratch programming environment. No prior programming experience is needed!
Recommended for Grades 4 and above. Younger children are welcome to see how far they can get as well! - Mathematical Games Room
Try your hand at 3D tic-tac-toe and other games. Learn some of the mathematical strategies for playing various games and use mathematics to improve your playing style!
Recommended for all ages. - Women in Mathematics
This Activity Room is organized by the FSU Student Chapter of the Association of Women in Mathematics
Do you know of any famous female mathematicians? There are lots! Come learn about some of the contributions women have made to mathematics and mathematical research. There are hands-on activities to demonstrate some of the fields of mathematics where women have made discoveries.
Recommended for Grades K-12. - Symmetries and Patterns
Explore geometries (rigid geometries and curved surfaces) through easy to make models.
Find hidden symmetries by folding your own hexaflexagons and origami shapes. Color and
investigate the golden mean spiral. Learn about the Fibonacci Sequence! Try our challenges and puzzles, geared toward all ages and levels.
Recommended for Grades K-12 with mathematical challenges at all levels. - Geometric Constructions
Build polyhedra and other shapes with mathematical construction tools, such as Zome. Discover the natural symmetries that govern 3-dimensional space.
Recommended for Grades K-12. - Other Activities: Throughout the event, come participate in other fun activities! Make awesome bubbles with 3D shapes (polyhedra)! Learn about snails with touch tanks provided by Sea-to-See and discover the mathematical intricacies of the snail shell and why we use the snail as our logo. Hungry? Support the FSU Chapter of the Association for Women in Mathematics and buy some popcorn! Or get your very own Math Fun Day t-shirt to support this event and future events!
Sample Workshops and Demonstrations from Past Math Fun Day Events
Workshops are currently being planned and information will be updated soon.
Workshops and demonstrations are events that have specific start and end times. They consist of hands-on activities or demonstrations lead by a faculty member or graduate student. Once a workshop begins, it will be difficult to accommodate late arrivals. Workshops will generally last between 30-60 minutes. All workshops begin every quarter of the hour (on the hour or at 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes past the hour).
- Math Escape Room: Escape from Dracula's Castle
Solve a series of mathematical puzzles using clues and strategies to solve the mystery of Dracula's castle. Multiple escape sessions will be held during Math Fun Day and participants will be given a set time limit to solve the mystery. Each session is limited to 5 kids so be sure to sign-up for a session outside Room 104!
Audience: Recommended for Grades 5 and above.
- How High Can You Count on Your Fingers?
This workshop will focus on how numbers can be represented in different ways using different "bases". Attendees will learn how to use their fingers and hands to convert between base 10 (our normal number representational method); base 5; and base 2 (binary, which is what computers use to store information).
Audience: Be able to add multi-digit numbers; advanced 2nd grade and up including middle school and high school students. There will be "decode the secret message" activities geared for different levels.
- The Game of Chances
In this session some very simple paradoxes in probability will be discussed and students will be shown some cool probabilistic tricks.
Audience: Appropriate for all levels.
- Fun with Numbers
When playing around with numbers, one often notices some surprising patterns. How do we know if these patterns are true all the time or some of the time? We will explore some number patterns and try to answer these questions.
Audience: Upper elementary and above; knowing multiplication is required and some algebra (middle school level and above) and knowledge of exponents is a pl us.
- Wisdom of the Masses: Using Probability to Learn about Pi
In this workshop the audience will calculate digits of pi using only toothpicks and paper. Along the way we will introduce the concept of expected value and Buffon's needle problem to see that our calculation of pi has a very geometric flavor.
Audience: Middle school and above or interest in learning about pi.
- Why Can't You Beat the Casino?
Why can't you beat the casino? Why is the casino business so lucrative? Through the examples of Roulette, Sic bo, as well as some common gaming strategies, we will try to understand why the casino has an edge, and why you can never beat the casino.
Audience: 4th grade and above.
- Secret Codes
This is an interactive, hands on workshop where students will learn about secret codes using cipher shifts and encode and decode their own messages.
Audience: 3rd to 5th grade, and middle school.
- Math and Probability Associated with Hurricane Forecasting
The intent of this talk is to help people understand hurricane forecasts, particularly during this busy hurricane season. First, we'll talk about the process of forecasting, from collection of data through solving the equations that describe how weather changes. Second, we'll explain various hurricane forecast graphics, most of which involve probability.
Audience: Attendees should have a basic understanding of probability.
Public Lecture: 1:00-2:00pm - To Be Announced
Maps and Parking
Parking Information, including construction zones.FSU Campus Map
Google Map
Google Map with Construction Zones around Love Building
Financial Support
FSU Math Fun Day is made possible through the generous financial support of
- The College of Arts and Sciences at Florida State University,
- The College of Education at Florida State University,
- The Department of Mathematics at Florida State University,
- The Brennan Professorship of Mathematics,
- Friends of FSU Math.
Support FSU Math Fun Day
If you would like to support FSU Math Fun Day, and other outreach activities
provided by the Department of Mathematics at FSU, please become a
Friend of
FSU Math.
Your donations to FSU Mathematics help support alumni networking, community outreach, research activities, and guest speakers.
Contact Us
If you would like to support FSU Math Fun Day, and other outreach activities
Event Director: Professor Monica K. Hurdal, Department of Mathematics
Email: MathFunDay@math.fsu.edu
Phone: (850) 644-2202 (Department of Mathematics Main Office) or (850) 644-7183 (Direct)
Information on this site will be updated periodically.
Like us on facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/FSUMathFunDay;
follow our event on facebook;
and follow us
on instagram and twitter #FSUMathFunDay
