Fair to Prove Math Can Be Fun

William Heh is a sophomore theater arts student who has been doing magic shows for 12 years. After talking to associate professor of mathematics and computer science Dani Novak, Heh found out that in addition to creating balloon animals and making hankies disappear, he was also doing math.

"I suppose I knew it instinctively," Heh said. "Magic has a lot to do with precision and timing. And with balloon animals, you have to know about volume and air capacity and exactly where to make your twists. Talking with Dani made me realize I’d actually been doing a form of mathematics without realizing it."

Heh will be one of several participants --- most of them Ithaca College students --- who will celebrate the beauty of mathematics at the "Math and Talent Fair for Learners of All Ages," to be held on the third floor of Williams Hall on Sunday, April 22. The event, which is free and open to the public, will run from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

In addition to Heh’s magic show, the fair will feature art displays, music, puzzles, workshops, computer games, and skits.

"The skits are small shows where students act out a math problem," Novak says. "After some of these skits were performed in our What Is Math? class, several students who had previously spent some time on a problem reported having an ‘aha’ experience of understanding."

The presentations are suitable for adults and for students of all grade levels.

"Math is part of our daily lives. We just don’t know it," Heh says. "It’s also fun, once you know how to relax and really experience it."

The fair is sponsored by the Ithaca College Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. For more information contact Dani Novak at 274-3595 or novak@ithaca.edu.