A team of residents are joining forces to create a fun maths day at the library offering various activities for teenagers and adults.
The day called ‘Is This Maths?’ is due to run on 21st June and will host various maths-related activities for adults and young people aged 13 and over.
“It’s an opportunity to find out something new about the world around us via mathematical ideas,” explained one of the organisers, Matthew, who has worked as a maths teacher.
“On the day, there will be some interesting objects to wonder about as well as some hands-on things people can take part in, including building a mathematical structure from scrap paper, deciphering code with a Pringles can and painting a pinecone, for example.”
The event is being run by Will, who has an academic background in music and is currently still studying maths, and local Frome College teacher Evie, who has a PhD in Mathematics Education and works part-time at the University of Bath as a mathematics and statistics teaching adviser and consultant.
Will said, “There will of course be lots of chat about mathematics and reasons we think it’s fascinating.”
To finish the day, there will be three 10-minute talks by Evie and local ‘maths-teaching legend’ Jonny Griffiths.
Will explained that schools and other institutions put significant effort into challenge stereotypes about mathematics.
He said, “Our event sides with these efforts: popularising/normalising doing maths for fun, bringing activities that might be hard to pull out in a mathematics classroom and bringing people with an interest in mathematics together.
“We would like to invite people to reconsider what mathematics is about. Many people have the wrong impression of mathematics, for whatever reason: that it’s necessary but dry and something to suffer rather than to enjoy. Yet we are all hardwired to enjoy things that are the domain of maths: puzzles, patterns, daydreaming. There will be no textbooks or tests, but there definitely will be maths.”
The team hope this will become a regular event. Will said, “We are also members of MathsJam in Bath – a maths-themed pub meet-up and we are bringing that to Frome in June.
“Hopefully this event will be the first step to connecting with a community of local people who would like more maths in their lives!”
Pictured: Evie and Will
