On Thursday, March 14, the "International Day of Mathematics" will be celebrated around the world. This year's motto is "Playing with Math!". In Dresden, this motto has been successfully practiced for over 16 years: In Erlebnisland Mathematik (“Math Adventure Land) - a cooperation between the Technische Sammlungen Dresden and the Faculty of Mathematics at TU Dresden - all age groups can experience mathematics in a playful way and take part in various events. Last year, more than 100,000 visitors came to the exhibition.

Mathematics and playing? For many schoolchildren, these terms go together like fire and water. However, if you take a closer look, you will see that games are very often associated with mathematics. It starts with simple dice games and goes on to strategy and programming games. "Mathematics is actually everywhere," explains Prof. Andreas Thom from TU Dresden. Alongside Prof. Andrea Hoffkamp and Prof. Bernhard Ganter, the geometry professor is the scientific director of Erlebnisland Mathematik. The Adventureland was launched in 2008 as a cooperation between the Technische Sammlungen Dresden and the Faculty of Mathematics at TU Dresden and has been growing ever since. Over 100 experiments now invite visitors to join in, think and marvel on an exhibition area of 1000m². "In 2023, we had more than 100,000 visitors. We are very proud of that. I think it is a prime example of successful science communication with great sustainability, and has been for 16 years," explains Thom.

Games evening on March 14, 2024

Visitors can discover the mathematics behind various games and simply have fun playing on the International Day of Mathematics from 4 p.m. at the MACHwerk (same building as the Erlebnisland Mathematik). The Mathematics Student Council of TU Dresden invites everyone to a joint games evening. Admission, snacks and drinks are free.

The International Day of Mathematics is being celebrated for the fourth time this year. UNESCO established this day with the aim of improving the understanding among the general public, decision makers and in schools, of the importance of mathematics in education. March 14 was previously already known as "π Day", as the American date notation 3/14 stands for the first decimal places of the circle number Pi, the most important mathematical constant.

Mathematics in dialogue on April 18, 2024

© Uwe Seupel

For anyone who wants to delve a little deeper into mathematics, Andreas Thom cordially invites you to the "Mathematik im Gespräch" series at Erlebnisland. The next event will take place on April 18, 2024 at 7 pm. Computer scientist Markus Krötzsch from TU Dresden will talk about the „Grenzen der KI: Was ChatGPT und Co niemals lernen warden” ("Limits of AI: What ChatGPT and Co will never learn"). The dialogue series takes place four times a year and presents current research topics and their areas of application in a clear and entertaining way. The audience experiences science at first hand and also learns interesting facts about the guests' motivations, ideas and career paths in conversation.

Explainers in the Adventureland

Student assistants work as so-called Explainers in the Adventureland of Mathematics. They are "co-discoverers" and contact persons for the visitors exploring the Adventureland of Mathematics. One of them is student teacher Anton Pfeil. He works as an Explainer and gets visitors of all ages excited about the exhibits. In the video "Auf Arbeit mit..." he gives an insight into his work:

More information about Erlebnisland Mathematik:
https://erlebnisland-mathematik.de/

Media inquiries:
Prof. Andreas Thom
Faculty of Mathematics
TU Dresden
and
Scientific director
Adventureland Mathematics
Tel. +49 351 463-43074
Email:

Holger Seifert
Head of Science Communication
Technische Sammlungen Dresden
Tel. +49 351 488-7209
Email: