Puzzles, Folds, and Bubbles Galore: Picnic Day Highlights

This year our Department once again took part in Picnic Day at UC Davis, bringing a mix of math, creativity, and hands-on fun to visitors of all ages. Our booth drew a steady crowd throughout the day, with families, students, and curious guests stopping by to explore.

One of the highlights was the “Math Puzzles Corner,” where visitors challenged themselves with brain teasers and logic games. Many enjoyed trying to crack patterns or solve riddles, often teaming up with friends or family. Another popular activity invited guests to estimate and calculate the value of π using a simple experiment, which sparked both curiosity and friendly competition.

We also hosted a hands-on craft station where participants explored symmetry through paper folding and cutting. It was exciting to see people discover how intricate designs could emerge from simple shapes. The sunny weather made it perfect for interactive demonstrations of minimal surfaces that blended math with movement.

Additional stations featured topics like knots, patterns, and mathematical art, giving visitors a glimpse into how math connects to the world around us. Altogether, our site welcomed hundreds of visitors over the course of the day.

Picnic Day continues to be a wonderful opportunity to share the beauty and fun of mathematics with the community, and this year was no exception.