What a great evening. Preliminary results of the Birthday Twin game are 20 sets of twins, two sets of triplets and one set of quadruplets. We’ll have more to share when we know the final counts on visitors.

We had two sets of twins that had the same name as each other! Laura’s and Steve’s.

Birthday Presents!

Each visitor put his or her Day and Month of Birth on a name tag. “Twins” who found each other and returned to our table each received a copy of Thinking Physics by Lewis Carrol Epstein. In keeping with our distribution of this book via Little Free Library, we are asking that the books be deposited in a Little Free Library if and when they are no longer wanted. We’ve calculated the chances and if there are just 100 visitors, we should have 10 pairs of twins! We brought 30 books and they were all awarded to twins by 8:30 pm. More pictures below.

Election Math.

Visitors interacted with a model that demonstrates how a candidate can win the popular vote and still lose the election. Campaign strategies become more clear when we use the model to see where a candidates efforts will have the greatest impact.

You can have fewer people voting for you and still win the election! WAIT…….WHAT?

Jokey’s Gift/Monty Hall Game

Visitors played the Monty Hall game using materials from the Smurf Math we made for the Austin Toy Museum. They try to choose the box with the prize among 2 duds. First they selected a “gift” from one of the 3. Next a dud gift was revealed and players then had the chance to “stick” with their original choice or “switch”. We’ll keep a tally and see which strategy visitors prefer and also which one gives better outcomes. Visitors got to see the tally after playing the game. Part way through the night we had Stick: 11 winners and 19 losers and Switch: 20 winners and 10 losers. Seems better to Switch.

Final Outcome: Visitors tried both strategies, but among those who “stick” there are 28 losers and 12 winners. . Among those who switch its was the opposite — that is there are about twice as many winners (30) as losers (12). Stick and you have a 1/3 chance to win, Switch and you have a 2/3 chance to win. 2/3 is twice 1/3 so the ratio makes sense!

Players of this game received a replica of one of Lewis Carrol’s favorite parlor tricks. Put a quarter through a hole the size of a dime without tearing the paper.

64 = 65?

From the Lewis Carrol Collection at the Ransom Center. This puzzle was handwritten by Lewis Caroll on paper more than 150 years ago. Our wooden version offers the opportunity to manipulate the pieces and find the missing area.

MathHappens Thinkery Team:
Alex Siegel, Matt Siegel, Phil Siegel, Lauren Siegel and Andrew Wildman