International Day of Mathematics with Mathematical Trails

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.