A party to fall in love with mathematics and computer science
The Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science has been organizing Matefest-Infofest for twenty years to show these two disciplines are not boring and that they have many uses. Everything indicates the fest is always successful, because every year, the Pati de Ciències (sciences patio) of the Historical Building is full of people, thousands of attendants come to this event. This year, Matefest-Infofest will take place on Thursday, April 11, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The organization is carried out by the bachelor degree students who, coordinated by Roger Asensi as a collaboration grantholder, decide the stands and talks to be hold and manage everything with the support from the Faculty. The activities cover several themes but have something in common: to talk about math and computer concepts in a communicative way. “We have to show mathematics and computer sciences are not that abstract like it is shown in some lectures in secondary school”, notes Asensi, who remembers a quote by Marshal McLuhan: “Anyone who tries to make a distinction between education and entertainment doesnʼt know the first thing about either”.
The Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science has been organizing Matefest-Infofest for twenty years to show these two disciplines are not boring and that they have many uses. Everything indicates the fest is always successful, because every year, the Pati de Ciències (sciences patio) of the Historical Building is full of people, thousands of attendants come to this event. This year, Matefest-Infofest will take place on Thursday, April 11, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The organization is carried out by the bachelor degree students who, coordinated by Roger Asensi as a collaboration grantholder, decide the stands and talks to be hold and manage everything with the support from the Faculty. The activities cover several themes but have something in common: to talk about math and computer concepts in a communicative way. “We have to show mathematics and computer sciences are not that abstract like it is shown in some lectures in secondary school”, notes Asensi, who remembers a quote by Marshal McLuhan: “Anyone who tries to make a distinction between education and entertainment doesnʼt know the first thing about either”.
Twenty years showing mathematics are entertaining
“Matefest started in 2000, as an initiative by the current rector, Joan Elias, inspired in a similar fair. That first edition continued taking place mainly thanks to a group of students coordinated by the student Pep Puigvert”, notes Antoni Benseny, delegate of the rector for Students and International Relations and lecturer from the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.
“Now with the bachelorʼs degree on Computer Science in the Faculty, the festival turned into Matefest-Infofest. The organization changed a bit but we are glad to see it has been growing over the years”, he adds.
“There are kinds of mathematics that are more entertaining than those in secondary education syllabuses, and the stands in Matefest-Infofest are proof of that”, states Benseny. One of the successful stands, which is present every year, is Fractals, which tells what a fractal is (mathematic model or real object maintaining its essential, fragmented and irregular form, regardless of the changes in the observation scale), the kind of structure they present, and where to see them in our daily life.
There are about twelve stands, aimed at non-expert audiences, to tell the attendants about leading topics such as geometry with virtual reality and the creation apps and free hacking. Also, there is a stand on strategy games, another on gambling: probability or luck?, apart from another that shows the importance of modelling problems with graphs (series of joint vertex or edges) and its resolution using math and computer tools. Participants, in addition, can play an activity on math and computer vocabulary, in a stand organized in collaboration with the Language Services of the UB, which challenges the participants to write some specialized words with no mistakes.
Claudi Alsina and Sergio Belmonte, distinguished guests
Apart from the stands, the Matefest-Infofest offers lectures that are aimed at secondary school students, which require previous registration. There is always high demand so this year the lectures will be shorter and will last twenty-five minutes. There will be a dual session so that more people can attend these.
Who hasnʼt asked “What are mathematics useful for?”, this will be explained in a lecture by Claudi Alsina, professor of Mathematics at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, and expert mathematician on functional equations, inequalities, fuzzy logic, Gaudí geometry, and mathematical education, among others.
What the attendants might not expect to find here is the relation between mathematics and magic. Sergio Belmonte, mathematician and lecturer of Mathematics in a high-school, and magician, will show this. In his conference “Màgia i matemàtiques”, he will show the strong existing correlation between magic and mathematics that make “the art of making possible what seems impossible” (René Lavand) and mathematics as a way of thinking and solving problems, to find the way in which arts take part in maths thing and vice-versa.
Mathematics you never heard of
The Mathematics and Computer Science CRAI Library prepared a bibliographic exhibition titled “Les matemàtiques que mai tʼhan explicat”. The exhibition gathers about forty works on mathematics from a ludic perspective, offering a different view and taking part in its most communicative aspect. From football to origami; from Rubikʼs cube to logic games; enigmas, problems, puzzles and many curiosities from known communicators: Claudi Alsina, Lewis Carroll, Martin Gardner, Miguel de Guzmán, Ian Stewart, etc.
Improving the social image of the Faculty
Like every year, the Matefest-Infofest comes with the Open Days of the Faculty. “This is a way to show the center and the studies that are offered here from a ludic perspective”, says Benseny, who adds that the Faculty has evolved a lot over the years and has improved its image and reputation: “Years ago, the rate of drop outs in Mathematics was very high. Every September we had about three-hundred registrations, but about a third came with no guidance and the methodology of the studies was not helpful. There were masterclasses, one-year courses and final exams. Since then, things have changed a lot. Now the objective is for the student to know what they are coming for, and to be motivated, and the Matefest-Infofest and the Open Days play a key role in that”.