Coming up...

Watch this space for info about our next events and displays.

 

If you have an idea for something mathsy you'd love to see or collab with us for, let us know! 

You can read what sorts of things we've got up to previously below.

Mathateca Logic Puzzle Workshops
Exercise Your Brain with Logic Puzzles!

 

Join us on Level 4 at Tūranga, Christchurch's Central Library on the last Sunday of every month from 3:00pm - 4:30pm for our free logic puzzle workshops delivered by New Zealand's top puzzle solver, James McGowan.

 

Whether you're new to logic puzzles or looking to sharpen your skills, come along to train your brain and have a good time!  

Join Mathateca at the Festival of Women and Girls in Science banner

Join us at Tūranga from 10am-3pm Saturday 15th February for an inspiring and hands-on STEM festival perfect for scientists aged 5-15 and their whānau.

 

Mathateca will be running our 3D printing exhibition, delivered in collaboration with Christchurch City Libraries.

Mathateca Logic Puzzle Workshops
Tabletop Tūranga - a free boardgame festival for Canterbury

 

Join friends old and new for a weekend of tabletop gaming at Christchurch's Central Library. All welcome, from seasoned gamers to those who are brand new to the hobby. Mathateca will be running the maths of Hex activity on Saturday 7th and the maths of Mancala on Sunday 8th, with round robin tournaments in the afternoons both days to test your skills.

🗓️ Saturday 7th - Sunday 8th June, 2025
📍Tūranga, 60 Cathedral Square

Pi Day: Calculating Pi From Scratch

Calling one-and-all to attempt to calculate as many digits of pi as we can, using nothing but paper and pencil.

Can we beat Matt Parker's 2024 attempt?

On Saturday March 15 2025, number enthusiasts in Christchurch are gathering in the Rātā Building, rooms 222/223, University of Canterbury to try to calculate as many digits of pi as we can by hand. 

If you can do long division (or are willing to learn) then you have the required skills to participate. Come along, and bring your friends!

The event runs between noon - 5pm; turn up anytime.

There will be a short presentation at 1:30pm about pi.

 

Mathateca is proud to support this valiant calculation effort for the 2025 International Day of Mathematics.

Past events

 

Tabletop Tūranga 2024

 

On the weekend of June 8th-9th 2024, Mathateca took part in Christchurch City Libraries’ board game festival, Tabletop Tūranga.

 

We taught and explored two simple strategy games: Mancala on Saturday and Hex on Sunday - and had a look at some of the mathematics behind each game. Check out our resources page to download the handouts from both days.


Tabletop Tūranga 2024 - a busy table!

 

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For those that attended Mathateca's Saturday display at the recent Tabletop Tūranga and are on a Mancala binge, enjoy this variation where players take it in turns to take all of the seeds from any cell and sow them one by one into the next cells. If the final seed brings the total number of seeds in a cell to a prime number, those seeds are won by the player.
 https://www.transum.org/Software/Fun_Maths/Games/Wari.asp


Also try Ross's extension puzzle: You have 48 seeds distributed over 12 cells. Is it possible to get from any distribution to any other distribution (of 48 seeds) using only mancala moves?