In the ancient Castle Escher, a group of brave knights set out on a quest to find a missing book. As they searched, they stumbled into a mysterious chamber filled with strange patterns and dazzling designs all around them. The knights navigated through hidden hallways and encountered tiling puzzles that could lead them to the secrets of the castle. Will they unlock the mysteries of the hidden chambers and find their way back to their mission?
Note: There are no prerequisites for this circle.
Join us to play — and probably think way too hard about how to play — some simple games! We'll learn from gameplay, think about strategy, and apply our mathematical intuition to prove how different players can always (or never) win. It's all fun and games until someone brings out the math! (Just kidding. It will still be fun and games when that happens!)
Note: There are no prerequisites for this circle.
Once upon a time, on a magical Dinosaur Island, there lived friendly dinosaurs who loved to play and explore. One sunny day, a clever little dinosaur named Chico decided to go for a walk and found mysterious eggs inside a cave. What were those eggs doing there? Why were they organized in that order, and what happens when he changes it?
Note: There are no prerequisites for this circle.
We will explore the difference between “I don’t see how to solve this puzzle” and “no one can solve this puzzle—here’s why.” Can we actually prove that a puzzle is impossible to solve—that no matter how clever someone is or what approach they take, they won't find a solution? Is it possible to prove the impossible?
Note - Circle Prerequisites:
(1) Can express basic reasoning
(2) Does not have extensive experience with invariants or proving impossibility results
Join Barry the Capybara on an extraordinary adventure through the cosmos! When Barry gazes at the stars one night, his curiosity turns into a rocket, launching him into the vastness of space. As he hops from star to star, he discovers the patterns hidden in the constellations, until everything suddenly changes. Let's solve the mysteries hidden in Barry's Journey!
Note: There are no prerequisites for this circle.
You have found yourself in a higher dimensional world and you need to escape. In order to do that, you need to figure out certain properties of shapes in this world. In this circle, we'll explore these shapes, and attempt to escape back to our 3-dimensional home!
Note - Circle Prerequisites:
(1) Can do simple multiplication (like 4 x 8) in under 20 seconds
(2) Doesn't have extensive experience summing infinite series
(3) Did not participate in Squareland (Fall 2024)
The mysterious number Pi is pervasive in the world of math. But where does it come from? How do computers calculate it so precisely? In this circle, we'll take a step beyond memorizing digits of pi, and see if we can't calculate some of them ourselves.
Note - Circle Prerequisites:
(1) Can calculate the hypotenuse of a right triangle using the pythagorean theorem
(2) Does not know a method for approximating pi
This Level 1 special one-session circle is open to children aged 5-7. It provides an opportunity to experience the engaging and collaborative nature of math circles and discover if it's the right fit for your child.
Note: This circle is exclusively for those who have not participated in math circles run by The Global Math Circle.
