National Museum of Mathematics
2023 Extensions program
(for students in grades 6–12)
Join a monthly Zoom session hosted by Chaim Goodman-Strauss, from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm ET, on one Sunday afternoon each month from September through December 2023. Chaim is MoMath’s Outreach Mathematician and one of the four researchers who most recently discovered two mathematical breakthroughs: the Hat and the Spectre. Students will learn about probability while also benefiting from enjoying math together in small groups of talented and focused young scholars.
To be eligible to attend this series, students must meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Is a current or former student in the MoMath-BNL gifted math program
- Is a current or former student in the MoMath Expansions gifted math program
- Must have successfully completed the ICPS program
- Has been admitted to MoMath’s Expansions gifted math program
- Can demonstrate eligibility in a gifted math program, such as enrollment in a gifted-and-talented program or school; and has applied by emailing programs@momath.org and have been approved by MoMath to participate in this program
Sessions will be held on Sundays from 1:00 to 2:30 pm ET on the following dates:
- September 24
- October 22
- November 19
- December 17
Sessions in September, October, November and December will cover the following topic:
“What’s Likely”
Did you know… probability is not the same as chance?! Over the long haul, with increasing certainty, the mathematics of probability determines how random events are distributed with tremendous precision — the very opposite of chance. We’ll explore many examples and tools — and paradoxes. Consider this: Let’s toss a coin over multiple turns. Starting with a prize of $1, each time the coin comes up Tails, the prize doubles, and when it comes up Heads, the game stops and you take the prize. It turns out that if the game is played often enough, the average winnings each turn will exceed — any — finite bound, and so it should be worth — any — amount of money to play this game. But if you try this out a few times with actual money, you’ll quickly become very wealthy! Why? (This is called “The St. Petersburg paradox.”)
Payment in the form of a major credit card is required at the time of online registration.
Space is limited, and students will be registered on a first-come, first-served basis. There are no refunds or credits for missed classes. Also note that ineligible students who register will not receive a refund nor will they be permitted to attend.
