Julia Robinson Mathematics Festivals (JRMF) inspire students to explore the richness and beauty of mathematics through activities that encourage collaborative, creative problem-solving.
JRMF's vision is to inspire a life-long curiosity for mathematics by instilling a genuine interest in creative problem-solving from an early age. The Julia Robinson Mathematics Festivals allow young people to develop their talent for mathematics by providing problems, puzzles, and activities that are intriguing and accessible.
The Math Circles Collaborative of New Mexico organizes, supports, and participates in Julia Robinson Mathematics Festivals in New Mexico and neighboring states, and – in partnership with STEM Santa Fe, Santa Fe Community College, and the national Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival organization – will be conducting New Mexico's first JRMF, on 24 February, 2017.
Try to find patterns that allow you to predict colors that will appear in rows of dots. Each row is produced from the one above it, following simple rules.
A simple game of strategy, where each player attempts to claim spaces to form an unbroken chain between opposite sides of the board. (See attached image for an example.)
How fast can the cookie monster eat all of the cookies, if he must follow some simple rules?
How long can you keep a simple subtraction process going, before running out of interesting differences?
Use simple calculations and your intuition to estimate some unexpected quantities.
Fold a long strip of paper in half several times. Can you see a pattern in the creases formed along the length of the paper? What sorts of route do we trace if we use the creases to direct our turns along a path?
Is it possible to fold a strip of paper into a shape that can be “flexed”, revealing faces than weren't visible at the start?
Let your inner artist out, to paint a canvas using colored rectangles. But watch out: there are a few catches.
A twist on the game of Dots and Boxes – but instead of capturing as many squares as possible, you and your opponent are going after gold doubloons!
In Evenland, the citizens never invented the number one; instead, they started with 2, and built up sums and products from that starting point. What can we say about prime numbers in Evenland?
Cook up some polyhedrons by following simple recipes. Invent your own recipes, too!
In how many ways can you draw a star using all the vertices of a polygon, without lifting your pencil from the paper? Are there some polygons for which it's not possible?
Use specially shaped blocks to “stomp out” dots on a grid of squares. But if you stomp on a square without a dot, a new one appears! Can you stomp out all the dots?
Can you see the light? That is, can you see the patterns in light bulbs that are left on, after repeatedly following a simple rule to switch them on and off?
How many sheep can you place on a field, so that none can be attacked by the simple-minded wolf? What if there's more than one wolf?