Friday, 2 February 2024 Nearly 200 students at the traditional Mathematics Day at UP FAMNIT

On Wednesday, 24 January 2024, and Thursday, 1 February 2024, two Mathematics Days brought together nearly 200 students from Gymnasium Koper and Piran. The students participated in lectures on the applicability of mathematics in everyday life.

On the first day, conducted on 24 January 2024, the students were welcomed by Dr. Marko Orel, Dr. Ademir Hujdurovič, the Dean of UP FAMNIT, and Dr. Bojan Kuzma, the Head of the Mathematics Department at UP FAMNIT.

The very diverse program offered a wide range of content, which the lecturers presented to the students interactively. 

In a lecture entitled 'Rubik's Cube: From Group Theory through Algorithms to Speed Solving,' conducted by Dr. Prof. Dr. Branko Kavšek, students delved into the Rubik’s Cube, its composition, the meaning of the permutation of the Rubik’s Cube, and how it can be described by mathematical group theory. The students also enjoyed board games during the lectures, counting routes, predicting the weather, and observing what was happening on the stock market. They got into all this in the lecture 'From Snakes and Ladders to Stock Price,' conducted by Assist. Dr. Ana Zalokar.

Assoc. Prof. Jasna Prezelj presented, at first glance, seemingly unrelated content - 'Soothing bubbles, chains, trulli, and the Cathedral of St. John Paul,' which, through a mathematical gaze, is transformed into special examples of the calculus of variations.

The lecture 'From the smallest squares to the operation of the CT machine' was given by Prof. Dr. Marko Orel, who presented the mathematical responsibilities for the operation of the first tomograph in a fun scientific way. In addition, Prof. Dr. Mihael Perman lectured on the importance of controlling roulette cylinders.

A week later, on Thursday, February 1, 2024, the students were divided into two groups and welcomed by Dr. Ademir Hujdurović, Dean of UP FAMNIT and Dr. Bojan Kuzma, Head of the Department of Mathematics at UP FAMNIT.

At the first lecture conducted by Prof. Dr. Rok Požar, he explained the human brain from a mathematical point of view. If we look at it closely, we see a lot of similarities with a mathematical object called a graph. Doc. Dr. Nastja Cepak then introduced the students to the operation of the data chain - blockchain, explaining how it works and where bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies belong in this story.

This time, Assist. Dr. Ana Zalokar explained what the board game Snakes and Ladders and stock price movements have in common. Barbara Boldin, PhD, took young enthusiasts to the world of nature, where animals compete and cooperate with other animals on a daily basis for their survival. The participants realized that animal decision-making in different situations can be presented in the form of mathematical games.