FSU to host Tallahassee neighborhood for eleventh annual Math Fun Day

The Florida State University Department of Mathematics will host the eleventh annual Math Fun Day this week to ask neighborhood members of all ages to have interaction in thrilling actions that present how math makes up the world round them.

Math Fun Day might be held from 1-5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7, within the Love Building, 1017 Academic Way, on FSU’s essential campus. This occasion, which is free and open to the general public, welcomes Ok-12 college students and their households to take part in a sequence of hands-on video games and actions illustrating the wonders of math.

“Seeing so many people excited about math in a non-school setting really makes the event fun and enjoyable for the kids who attend,” mentioned Monica Hurdal, professor of biomathematics and affiliate chair for tutorial affairs within the Department of Mathematics.

Math Fun Day 2026 is structured as an open home that includes 10 rooms, every containing totally different actions that have interaction college students in math, akin to programming polygons on a pc, taking part in 3D tic-tac-toe and cracking secret codes. Participants can have as much as 4 hours to make their means via the exercise rooms and expertise the thrill of arithmetic.

The day consists of alternatives for college kids of all totally different ranges to find out how math makes up the world we reside in in addition to the way it’s utilized in trade, expertise, science and on a regular basis duties. These actions goal to assist attendees discover a new appreciation for arithmetic and spark curiosity within the self-discipline.

“Sometimes, math can have a bit of a negative connotation,” Hurdal mentioned. “If we help everybody realize that you can do cool things with math, we might inspire the next generation of mathematicians.”

This yr, Math Fun Day will function a room highlighting fractals, that are repeating patterns occurring in geometry and nature, hosted by the Math Honor Society Pi Mu Epsilon, and a room discussing distinguished feminine mathematicians, hosted by the FSU pupil chapter of the Association of Women in Mathematics.

“Math is for everyone, and everyone can participate in it,” mentioned Kaylie Green, a biomathematics doctoral pupil, president of the FSU chapter of the Association for Women in Mathematics, and president of FSU’s Graduate Women in STEM pupil group. “Volunteering with Math Fun Day for the last two years has taught me how to adapt math for different levels and continually reminds me how fun math can be. Seeing attendees smile and laugh when they get a question right or suddenly understand something is really rewarding.”

The occasion is supported by greater than 100 volunteers made up of each college students and school. Although most volunteers hail from the Department of Mathematics, others conduct analysis in a wide range of educational areas, reflecting math’s interdisciplinary nature, and lots of pupil volunteers return to assist a number of years in a row.

“All of our student volunteers make the event what it is,” Hurdal mentioned. “They put in so much time to engage with the children, and their enthusiasm spreads and inspires others to get involved and enjoy math. It’s always worthwhile when we see kids who ask their parents if they can stay at Math Fun Day after the event is over.”

Visit the 2026 Math Fun Day website to study extra concerning the occasion.