What it is:

In any group of 30 people there is a 50% chance that two of the people share the same month and date birthday (not year).  And if you have 100 people mixing in a group, there is a 99% chance that at least one pair exists and likely several.  So participants put the month and day (like 07/19) of their birthday on their name tag and look for their “twin” in the crowd.

What we learned: The Thinkery were expecting as many as 500 participants who would be drinking beer and circulating among offerings from various organizations. Social games were of particular interest to organizers as this was offered as a mixer for young adults. The Birthday Game via name tags encourages participants to look at each other’s tags and offers a fun way to engage with new people. Other math topics we offered gave insights to current events or decision making were of particular interest to organizers.

MathHappens: With the success of Dionysium show Birthday Game we decided to play on a larger scale. It was a big success and a lot of fun. Twins bonded, took a photo in the booth adjacent to our table, and formed a kind of community of twins. Each twin received a copy of the book Thinking Physics by Lewis Carroll Epstein, a great example of applied math. At our tables we offered visitors: a Lewis Carroll puzzle paradox 64=65 from the recent Harry Ransom Center exhibit, a model and explanation of gerrymandering, and an opportunity to participate in and a real time data collection of the Monty Hall choice game. Many participants returned to see the accumulated outcome!