Author: Leonie Horsch

Today, May 12, 2025, we are celebrating the seventh International Women in Mathematics Day. This day serves to highlight and recognize women in a subject that they have played a key role in shaping over the centuries – often without being named or recognized. This is because many important female mathematicians worked under difficult conditions: For a long time, women were denied access to education and a scientific career was not envisaged. Nevertheless, numerous women have asserted themselves, researched, taught and enriched the mathematical world with their findings. One of these women is the Iranian mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani, who was born on May 12, 1977, thus establishing the date of this day. In 2014, she was the first woman ever to receive the Fields Medal – one of the highest honors in mathematics.

To mark this special day, we not only want to commemorate the achievements of some women, but also show how their topics can be experienced in a very concrete, contemporary and admittedly much simplified way in mathematics lessons or in everyday life – with MathCityMap.

Hanna Neumann (1914-1971), for example, conducted research in the field of group theory and combinatorics. Her first publication dealt with selection rules in chess competitions. Under the tag “Combinatorics” you will find numerous tasks on mathematical arrangement and selection. If you would like to work on a task about chess, you can work on the task “Walking on the Chessboard” (3432743).

Sophie Germain (1776-1831) is also one of the pioneers in her field. She worked intensively on Fermat’s last theorem and became famous for the so-called Sophie Germain primes. Despite the social obstacles of her time, she made a significant contribution to number theory. If you would like to explore this topic in a fun way, MathCityMap offers tasks such as “Prime Numbers Street Saint Antoine” (2317764), which deal with prime numbers and offer a simple and practical approach to abstract theory.

The International Women in Mathematics Day is an invitation to discover. Let’s keep part of the mathematical heritage of these great women alive together – outside, digitally and together with the MathCityMap community.

This spring, we had the pleasure of welcoming two school classes who came to explore and try out MathCityMap. In March, the Erich Kästner School from Maintal visited us, and in April, the Heinrich Heine School from Dreieich joined us together with their Spanish exchange students.

The meeting point was the Westend Campus of Goethe University Frankfurt. After a short introduction to the MathCityMap system, the students were divided into groups of three. In these teams, one person uses the smartphone with the app, navigates the group, and reads the tasks aloud. The second person measures the objects, while the third writes down the data needed for the calculations. We always encourage the groups to switch roles during the activity so that everyone has the chance to try out each part.

After that, the teams move independently around the campus and solve engaging tasks that we select in advance to match their grade level. Depending on the group, we also provide the tasks in different languages—such as German, English, or Spanish, like during the visit of the exchange group from Dreieich. For example, the students might determine the size of the “Body of Knowledge” sculpture or calculate how many posters could fit on the advertising column next to the “Casino Anbau” building.

Thanks to the gamification feature in our app, the teams collect points as they complete the trail. At the end, a winning team is announced—and a small prize is awarded, adding an extra dose of motivation and fun.

If your school is also interested in this kind of activity, we’d be happy to hear from you! Just send an e-mail to info@mathcitymap.eu!

On the occasion of the International Day of Mathematics, which takes place every year on March 14, a nationwide event entitled “International Day of Mathematics with Mathematical Trails” was held in centres of Slovak regions. Its goal was to bring mathematics closer to pupils in an innovative and experiential way – in the real-life setting of cities.

The event was organized under the leadership of Mgr. Silvia Haringová, a PhD student at the Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Informatics, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra. In addition to the department members (Doc. PaedDr. Janka Medová, PhD., and PaedDr. Veronika Bočková, PhD.), the team also included a former doctoral student (PaedDr. Kristína Ovary Bulková, PhD.) and students of all levels (Bc. Marián Ďurina, Lenka Jurašiková, Natália Spodniaková, and Viktória Zarembová). In Nitra, pupils solving mathematical walks were guided by first-year bachelor’s students in mathematics teacher training.

In the centres of regions (Trnava, Banská Bystrica, Žilina, Košice, and Prešov), the aforementioned coordinators awaited registered teachers and their pupils from primary and secondary schools, ready to embark on a city walk featuring tasks prepared in the free MathCityMap application. Due to unfavourable weather, the walks in Bratislava took place inside Comenius University, and in Nitra in the pemises of Constantine the Philosopher University. In each city, coordinators ensured a smooth process, provided initial instructions, and offered technical support.

The activity was designed to support teamwork, logical thinking, and practical skills such as measuring, calculating, and observing geometric patterns in urban environments. Each trail lasted approximately 45 to 60 minutes.

A total of 21 schools with nearly 600 pupils participated in the event. An additional 3 schools completed individual walks with 124 pupils, and 2 schools held so-called “home trail” with 20 pupils. Due to poor weather, several schools chose alternative dates in the following days, increasing participation by another approximately 100 pupils. In total, nearly 850 students from all over Slovakia participated in the International Day of Mathematics with Mathematical Trails.

The event also featured two accompanying competitions:

•  for the most creative photo with a measuring tape,
•  and for the most interesting MathCityMap task.

The winners of the most creative photo competition were selected through Facebook voting, while the best MathCityMap tasks were chosen by the Mathematical Trails team.

The Mathematical trails showed participants that mathematics can be not only understandable and practical, but also playful, explorative, and inspiring.

Thank you to Janka Medová and Silvia Haringová for forwarding us this report.

Dear MathCityMap Community,

In May 2026, the first international MathCityMap meeting for students and teachers will take place in Seville. From May 4 to 9, 2026, teams from different countries will come together to experience exciting math challenges and activities.

The program includes interactive math trails, exciting hands-on workshops and plenty of opportunities to exchange ideas with other students, teachers and the international MathCityMap team. The aim is to discover the diversity of mathematical phenomena in everyday life – all in an inspiring atmosphere.

But how can you take part? It’s simple: we’re looking for the five best videos in which a math trail created by your students is presented. The video should be short, creative and suitable for social media – ideally in such a way that it also inspires and excites others. For inspiration, it’s worth taking a look at our Instagram channel, where you can already see many great examples.

It is also important that your school is one of our partner schools or will become one by July 31. All information on the partner school programme and the requirements for application can be found both in the article on the first MCM partner school and on the homepage of our MaSCE³ project.

The winning teams – each consisting of up to 2 teachers and 6 students – will be invited to the event in Seville. Accommodation and meals for five nights will be fully covered for the participants and 90% of the travel costs (up to €350 per person) will be reimbursed.

The finalised videos can be sent by email to info@mathcitymap.eu by July 31, 2025. The best submissions will also be published on our official platforms and thus become part of our international MathCityMap community.

Be part of this special project, show what your school can do in the field of “outdoor maths” and take the chance to win an unforgettable trip to Seville. We look forward to your creative contributions and to meeting you in person in 2026!

Dear MathCityMap Community,

This Monday, we invite you to a very special Easter egg hunt! The Easter Bunny is known for hiding colorful eggs in the garden, and we’re going on a search to find them. But sometimes, the eggs aren’t so easy to spot – just like mathematics!

Mathematics often shows up in unexpected places in everyday life, just like the hidden eggs. Sometimes, it’s not so obvious how many mathematical puzzles surround us. That’s where MathCityMap comes in: we help make hidden math visible! With our outdoor tasks, you can solve mathematical questions using everyday objects – and do it in a fun and playful way.

So why not start a mathematical Easter egg hunt today? All you need is the MathCityMap app, some measuring tools, and maybe a few friends to join you. Choose a trail nearby and begin your own personal adventure.

To get you in the mood for the adventure, here’s a little puzzle that fits the theme:

The Easter Bunny has prepared 1000 colorful eggs and wants to distribute them in four different nests in the garden. But he has a special challenge:

• The first nest gets 10 more eggs than the second nest.

• The second nest gets 10 fewer eggs than the third nest.

• The fourth nest gets twice as many eggs as the first nest.

How many eggs go in each nest?

We’re looking forward to read your solutions in the comments!

Now you’re ready to solve many more exciting mathematical tasks in the real world with MathCityMap. Have fun puzzling and discovering!

We are very happy to announce a new partner school to be part of our growing MathCityMap network: the primary school in Čeľadince, Slovakia. The teacher Mirka Masaryková brought two creative trails on the school grounds to life and already tested them with her students.

The first trail (code: 8922630) is suited for students of the first and second grade and includes 8 interesting tasks. It was recently tested by 18 students and the teacher reports as follows:

„The pupils in each group worked responsibly, they cooperated and consulted each other, they were able to listen to the opinions of their classmates and worked their way up to solve mathematical problems by talking to each other.“

The second trail (code: 4522629) also includes 8 tasks and was created for third and fourth grade students. It was tested by 13 children.

„The pupils fully focused on individual tasks and were equally actively involved in the process. They cooperated very nicely, measured together, had an individual role each and consulted together on the progress of solving individual tasks.“

With these trails, the students in Čeľadince get to experience how mathematics is not just a subject in school, but also a exciting adventure – one that they can tackle together and where everybody can be part of.

The package with the official partner school badge and the MCM measuring instruments has already been delivered and we are looking forward to receiving more applications from all over the world.

All further information on the partner school programme and the requirements for application can be found both in the article on the first MCM partner school and on the homepage of our MaSCE³ project.

We are very pleased to welcome the primary school in Krásno nad Kysucou as a new MathCityMap partner school!

Together with two other teachers, the mathematics teacher Zuzana Tvrdá created three trails for classes 7 and 8 and has already tested them with several classes.

“From the moment we learned about the concept of MathCityMap, trails being used to teach math, we knew we had to try it. It was winter, and we were eager to test this concept, so we set up our first MathCityMap trail in our school library (grade 7 or higher- code: 0918234 ). It was a huge success among our students, and we instantly knew there would be many more trails to come.”

The next trails were located outside of the school.

One trail was created to improve the financial literacy of the students. The trail is suitable from the 8th grade and can be found with the code 4819464.

Another trail served to repeat the content of the 7th grade (code: 1222744).

We look forward to more exciting trails and great new ideas.

The package with the official partner school badge and the MCM measuring instruments has already been delivered and we are looking forward to receiving more applications from all over the world.

All further information on the partner school programme and the requirements for application can be found both in the article on the first MCM partner school and on the homepage of our MaSCE³ project

We are happy to add a new partner school to our network: the Hodžova Elementary School in Trenčín, Slovakia! This dedicated school has successfully created 15 tasks in four different trails on the school campus. The trails can be found under the following titles:

• ZŠ Hodžova TN I. (Code: 4921511)
• ZŠ Hodžova TN II (Code: 0321510)
• ZŠ Hodžova TN III (Code: 1621509)
• ZŠ Hodžova TN IV (Code: 1221027)

The tasks are designed for students aged 12 to 15 and cover a variety of math topics. These include: area and circumference calculation of square, rectangle and circle, as well as combinatorics, percentages, length measurement, surface and volume calculation of prisms as well as conversion of units of measurement.

The teacher Jana Masariková told us: “The trails were prepared on the school premises in such a way that the pupils can master them during a single lesson. We implemented the trails at the end of the school year, while repeating the curriculum. The children were using their cell phones and worked in small groups. The pupils really enjoyed the math trails. They were enthusiastic and are looking forward to trying the other challenges.”

We look forward to more exciting trails and great new ideas.

The package with the official partner school badge and the MCM measuring instruments has already been delivered and we are looking forward to receiving more applications from all over the world.

All further information on the partner school programme and the requirements for application can be found both in the article on the first MCM partner school and on the homepage of our MaSCE³ project.

We are very pleased to welcome the secondary school Escola Secundaria de Gondomar as a new MathCityMap partner school. Last week we already presented the trail “Gondomath”, which connects heritage with mathematics and was created by a teacher of their school. Due to the great experiences with MathCityMap they created more trails and already tested them.

The teacher Maria João Tinoco told us about two more trails, one inside their school and one outside: The tasks are of wide variety, involving measurements and calculations of perimeter, areas and volume, and also about probabilities, taking advantage of heritage close to the school. The students were very enthusiastic about solving the tasks, which took around one and a half hours.

The trail inside the school can be used from year 9 on:
ESG1, à procura da Matemática! (Code: 3623848)

The trail outside the school is suited for year 12:
Gondomar – Monte Crasto (Code: 0323760)

We look forward to more exciting trails and great new ideas.

The package with the official partner school badge and the MCM measuring instruments has already been delivered and we are looking forward to receiving more applications from all over the world.

All further information on the partner school programme and the requirements for application can be found both in the article on the first MCM partner school and on the homepage of our MaSCE³ project.

Since the end of last year, you can find a new public trail in Gondomar (Portugal), which connects heritage and mathematics. It was created by Maria João Tinoco, who already tested the trail with her students using the MathCityMap App. She has forwarded us the following review:

Mathematics goes out on the street, and it was a success! The trail starts in front of the school, and passes through the lane of Monte Crasto, going up to the Chapel of Santo Isidoro! Everything serves for students to “see” Mathematics and we even had an unexpected visit … after all, our Poet Luís de Camões also “entered” the Mathematics class, as well as several other elements of Gondomar’s heritage. Art, Sculpture, Heritage and … Mathematics on the move at Gondomar Secondary School!

We are delighted to hear about this sucessful mathematics class and the great exploration of the local environment. The Trail „Gondomath“ can be accessed and tested with the Code 1723762.