Senior Sessions

Once a week
2:00 pm to 2:45 pm ET

(online)

Senior citizens, exercise your brain in 45-minute math sessions!  Join MoMath’s experienced presenters for intriguing classes on a variety of stimulating topics, including topology, puzzles, and cryptography.  Enjoy the discovery and challenges in these engaging, interactive activities with a collegial cohort of mature minds.  Online registration closes 15 minutes before each session begins.

Please note that sessions of the same name are repeated sessions.

“Luck, Magic, or Math?”

Tuesday, November 5
At first glance, the occurrence of an “unlikely” event might seem like luck… or magic.  However, when this event occurs over and over, we have to look more closely.  With a bit of math, we will see that some events, which might seem unlikely at first, have a higher probability than intuition would suggest.  Learn how a clever magician can “read the minds” of an unsuspecting audience using a little knowledge of probability!  Materials needed: pencil, paper, colored pens or markers (3 different colors), deck of playing cards, a single die, and printout of poems (to be provided).

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Math in Art III: Friezes”

Wednesday, November 13
Continuing in our Math in Art series is an introduction to mathematical symmetry and the seven patterns of friezes.  Known for their decorative purposes and often enriched with carvings, these architectural elements have been known and used since antiquity.  Materials needed: pencil, paper, colored pencils or markers (optional), and printouts to be provided.

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“Chessboards and Dominoes”

Thursday, November 21
What shapes can you fit together to cover a chessboard?  Dominoes?  Trominoes?  Learn about mathematical proofs while exploring patterns of odd and even numbers and experimenting with real dominoes and chessboards.  Materials needed: pencil and graph paper (printout available).  Optional materials: chessboard, dominoes

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“Math in the Corner Pocket”

Tuesday, November 26
Explore angles and the law of reflection while tracing the path of a billiard ball as it bounces off the walls of a pool table.  Use patterns to discover a simple method to predict in which pocket the ball will land and learn how to prove that your prediction is correct.  Game on!  Materials needed: pencil, ruler, and graph paper (printout available).

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“Gallery of Graphs”

Wednesday, December 4
Dig into graph theory by exploring the connection between vertices and edges — and the walls of any house.  Discover a method to determine whether a ghost can haunt a castle or if a figure can be drawn without lifting the pen.  Explore how these two problems are related and learn what they have to do with bridges in 18th-century Prussia, all while enjoying a unique and accessible introduction to this sophisticated branch of mathematics.  Materials needed: pencil, paper, and colored pens or markers (4 colors).

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Math in Art: Tessellations I”

Thursday, December 12
Discover the wonderful world of tessellations!  Explore how geometric shapes can completely cover a plane with no gaps or overlaps and discover where tessellations appear: in nature, in ancient Roman mosaics, in Islamic art and architecture, in quilting patterns, and in the works of modern artists such as M.C. Escher.  Join us to build your own tessellations with regular polygons in this first offering in the Math in Art series.  Materials needed: pencil, paper, scissors, and printout to be provided.

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“Hands and Minds”

Tuesday, December 17
Through two entertaining and intriguing mathematical puzzles, learn about knot theory, recursive algorithms, and proofs of induction.  Have fun while challenging not only your mind but also your hands!  Materials needed: scissors, glue or tape, 3 sheets of colored paper (different colors), plus a printout.

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“Polyomino Puzzlers”

Thursday, December 26
You've heard of dominoes, but have you ever heard of trominoes, tetrominoes, or pentominoes?  Discover the many surprising shapes you can create simply by combining single-size squares and explore various types of symmetry using these unique objects.  Materials needed: printout to be provided, pencil, and colored pen (or marker).  Optional materials: scissors and tape.

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This program is intended for adults; children will not be permitted to attend, and event registrations are non-refundable and non-transferrable.