Recreational Mathematics is a broad term that covers many different areas including games, puzzles, magic, and art, as defined by the corresponding Special Interests Group of the MAA (SIGMAA). The fact that it studies the math behind various entertaining subjects, doesn’t make it less serious or formal. Part of the magic of Recreational Mathematics is that it is appealing to non-mathematical audiences, yet there’s really deep math involved, including problems that have not been solved. Thus, this branch of mathematics works great to attract young students towards mathematics research.
The goal of the Recreational Mathematics Seminar is to promote this field.
Past
February 2022 – Tiling spaces: What are they and what do they look like?, Darío Alatorre (National Autonomous University of Mexico)
February 2021 – Playful Pentagons, Alicia Crans (Loyola Marymount University)
October 2020 – A q-Queens Problem, by Chris Hanusa (CUNY)
September 2020 – When the Maker Wins, by Joe Quinn (Hypothesis)
November 2019 – The Mathematics of Origami, by Laura Jimenez (KU)
October 2019 – Building Real Mathematical Surfaces, by Maria Monera (University of Valencia)
Spring 2019 – Diana Davis