Math is more than numbers and equations! The Mathical Book Prize inspires kids of all ages to see math in the world around them through fiction and literary non-fiction. Everybody loves a good story: we have picture books to teen novels, and everything in between. 

Join us by the fire (so to speak) for some cozy Mathical Book Prize live author readings. We are partnering with the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) to ship Mathical Books ahead of time to kids in Title I schools so they are ready to meet these authors!

Register for December 2020 Mathical Events

Wednesday, December 9, 2020 (1:00 – 2:30 pm ET): Tweens and Teens Take on Mathical

• • SOLVING FOR M, by Jennifer Swender
  • DK LIFE STORIES: KATHERINE JOHNSON, by Dr. Ebony Joy Wilkins
  • SLAY, by Brittney Morris (*pre-recorded, with special live guests from #BlackInMathWeek)

Thursday, December 10, 2020 (1:00 – 2:00 pm ET): Little Ones Rule with Mathical

• • PIGEON MATH, by Asia Citro
  • CAO CHONG WEIGHS AN ELEPHANT, by Songju Ma Daemicke
  • NOTHING STOPPED SOPHIE, by Cheryl Bardoe

Join us in January for math, music, and theater, as we celebrate math and social justice through hip hop culture, the encouraging rhythms of rap, and the personality, persistence, and overcoming of obstacles of women in mathematics across the years.

Registration links coming in November 2020.

Tuesday, January 12, 2021 (1:00 – 2:00 pm ET): Math Rap (Double Feature)

• • Math Concert with the Music Notes
  • Hip Hop Math with Professor Lyrical

Wednesday, January 27, 2021 (1:00 – 2:30 pm ET): “Witches of Agnesi” Play Performance (Live Streaming) and Panel Discussion

• • Dr. Susan Gerofsky (University of British Columbia)
  • Dr. Moira Chas (Stony Brook University)
  • Dr. Nancy Scherich (University of Toronto)
  • Dr. Shelly Jones (Central Connecticut State University)

Come and listen! The 2021 Mathical Book Prize winning authors will read from their lively new works of kids’ literature. Join the fun! The Young People’s Project hosts a game show in which students judge mathematicians on their charm and clarity explaining their favorite big ideas in mathematics.

Registration links coming in November 2020.

Tuesday, February 9, 2021 (1:00 – 2:00 pm ET): Mathical Book Prize 2021 Winners Announcement

• • Featuring live readings and Mathical award-winning authors

Tuesday, February 16, 2021 (1:00 – 2:30 pm ET): What’s the Big Idea: Game Show Featuring Students and Mathematicians

• • Hosted by Cliff Freeman and Scarlitte Alameda (The Young People’s Project)

It’s almost time for NMF Live Online, coming up in a few short weeks. But first… two derring-do math performances! Join Rhys Thomas for juggling as you’ve never seen it before; and Brady Haran of Numberphile for whatever he thinks up next.

Registration links coming in November 2020.

Wednesday, March 17, 2021 (1:00 – 2:30 pm ET): Believe-It-Or-Not, It’s Math (x2)

• • Rhys Thomas (Science Circus)
  • Brady Haran (Numberphile YouTube Channel and Podcast)

Join us for the 2021 National Math Festival, with hands-on, interactive activities for youth of all ages, plenty of booths to stroll around and pick up resources for math play at home or in the classroom, and engaging films and lively math talks to round out the program. Enjoy!

Registration links coming in November 2020.

2021 National Math Festival:
NMF Live Online

Friday, April 16 – Sunday, April 18, 2021

Schedule of events and registration information coming soon!

NMF Live Online: Fascinating Math Talks

“The End of Space and Time: The Mathematics of Black Holes and the Big Bang”
Dr. Robbert Dijkgraaf (Institute for Advanced Study)

“Changing the ‘Face’ of Mathematics”
Dr. Erica Graham (Bryn Mawr College), Dr. Raegan Higgins (Texas Tech University), Dr. Candice Price (Smith College), and Dr. Shelby Wilson (Johns Hopkins University)

“Math Is Play!”
Dr. Emille Davie Lawrence (University of San Francisco)

“Numbers through Pictures: A Taste of the Geometry of Numbers”
Dr. Jesús De Loera (University of California, Davis)

“Infinite Powers: The Story of Calculus”
Dr. Steven Strogatz (Cornell University)

“Math and the Movies”
Dr. Joseph Teran (University of California, Los Angeles)

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Film Room is your go-to for larger-than-life, math-inspired stories on the silver screen. You will also get to chat and dig deeper with panels and Q&As.

The Bit Player (2019)

Panel featuring Dr. Andrea Goldsmith, Dr. Mark Levinson, Dr. Ronald Rivest, Dr. David Tse

Hidden Figures (2016)

Panel featuring Dr. Erica Graham, Dr. Raegan Higgins, Dr. Candice Price, and Dr. Shelby Wilson

The Man Who Knew Infinity (2016)

Panel featuring Dr. Kathrin Bringmann, Dr. David Eisenbud, and Dr. Ken Ono

NOVA

Math film TBD

NSF “We Are Mathematics” Video Contest Winners

National Science Foundation

Secrets of the Surface: The Mathematical Vision of Maryam Mirzakhani (2020)

Panel featuring Dr. Hélène Barcelo, Dr. Roya Beheshti Zavareh, Dr. Marissa Loving, and Dr. Marie-Francoise Roy

Join some of the world’s savviest math organizations for a tour-de-force of online fun! Meet math superstars, find your own math star to steer by, and just plain relax and enjoy.

Come prepared to learn, engage, laugh, grow, play, and be part of an exciting math community for kids and adults of all ages.

Hands-on, interactive activities are the name of the game. You can also expect puzzles, demos, super-short talks, mathletic events, art-making, and more.

Parents and teachers, pick up resources for math play at home and in the classroom. Kids and grown-ups, roll up your sleeves and dive into easy-access, creative, open math activities for all.