The first performance of our project took place on 4 November 2022 at the Drostdy Theater. The performance consisted of four shows, approx. 30 min each, described below.

Please complete this form retrospectively if you attended the show and would like to stay in touch for future shows: https://forms.gle/HPYNqeRDf3dqWKEx7

 IS IT REALLY IMAGINARY?

New mathematical concepts often arise from thinking outside the box, and, at the time of their invention/discovery, may appear to be of little use. Free thought in mathematics and the courage to challenge the current rules, as well as controversy, are characteristic of human endeavor to develop new groundbreaking mathematical ideas.

This show brings to the general public the concept of an imaginary number: something, which at first appears impossible, but with time is revealed to be a fundamental component of understanding the universe around us. 

 PARROT (UN)LEARNING

In this show, set in a mathematics classroom, the lecturer is convinced that the essence of learning mathematics lies in copying lecturer's knowledge. Unfortunately, he himself misses the point of what the essence of mathematics itself is! Instead of enquiring and asking questions, for him mathematics is what is best described as "parrot learning".

Dr. Parrot, the lecturer, gets freed from the burden of parrot-learned mathematics by a magical creature, who at the same time visits his students and guides them in finding a correct approach to mathematics: reflecting on and unpacking concepts.

DEPTH OF SECRETS

This show is the heart of the production, as it offers the taste of mathematics outside the classroom environment, where mathematics can become genuinely interesting and motivating.

The show takes you on a journey of appreciating complexity of mathematics as something arising naturally by a need for a better solution to a real-life problem. Alice and Bob, school pupils hanging out with their friends in a Caffé, will end up rediscovering fascinating mathematical concepts in their attempt to exchange secret messages between each other. 

MUSIC VS MATHEMATICS


This show features a piano performance, by Kate Watson, of Bug Book (Goggaboek), a musical composition by a South African composer, Hans Roosenschoon. He will join the show for an explorative discussion about parallels between creative processes in music and in mathematics.

The discussion will address a common problem of the music and mathematics education systems: the lack of creativity/exploration-based learning. 




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Fundamano Press Release

On the evening of 4th of November, at the Drostdy Theatre in Stellenbosch, Mathematics was taken to stage in a theatrical production combining conceptual roots of mathematics with music and brilliant performance of university students studying mathematics under various programs, including engineering and science. The production brought together four shows: “Is it really imaginary?”, “Parrot (un)learning”, “Depth of secrets” and “Music vs mathematics”. The first show, “Is it really imaginary?”, was prepared and presented by a production team brought together by Dr. Sophie Marques, a mathematician in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Stellenbosch University, who is the founder and the managing director of the Wisaarkhu online science engagement magazine. The show explored the concept of an imaginary number, which comes into existence by thinking outside the box, and is later understood to be a fundamental component of the physical universe. The performers in the production tea...
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