Volumes

Love mathematics and books? Looking for a stimulating and fun discussion? Volumes, the MoMath book club, is just the thing for you! This monthly reading group is designed especially for those interested in mathematics and science and how they affect our lives. No prior math or science background is necessary. Hosted by Dr. Tiago Hirth Wednesday, October 14 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm ET (online) Join host Dr. Tiago Hirth, MoMath’s 2026–2027 Visiting Professor for Public Outreach, for an engaging book club discussion of Master Sun’s Problem: A Mathematical Epic 2,000 Years in the Making with author Dana Mackenzie. Master Sun’s problem — first posed by Sun Bin, a Chinese military strategist and supposed descendent of Sun Tzu, the legendary author of The Art of War — is an ancient strategy question whose elegant simplicity conceals a fiendishly difficult mathematical puzzle. The problem was largely ignored for two thousand years until a college friend of Dana Mackenzie revived it — and in doing so, rekindled Mackenzie’s passion for mathematics. Looking for the MoMath book club designed specially for tweens and teens (ages 10–17)? Check out tweenprimes.momath.org! Searching for a reading list designed especially for those interested in mathematics and science? Check out prior Volumes selections! In the form of a final exam, Nell brings us a touching poem conveying the beauty of mathematics and personal friendship through metaphors of lines: parallel lines, perpendiculars and transversals, and tangent lines “unraveling strings of memories.” The vivid imagery of Nell’s poem brings the humanity of mathematics of life. Click here to read Nell’s poem. In high Hogwarts style, Josie, Elisa, and Monika explain the mathematics behind the magic of sonic pressure waves, complete with special effects, spells, and accents. They do a great job of bringing this highly technical material to life in an engaging way. Click here to watch Josie, Elisa, and Monika’s video. With Andres and Alfonso’s “Harmony Code Play” online app, users can explore the mathematical ratios in chords and scales. The judges were impressed by the clarity of the webpage’s design, its attractive interactivity, its references to math in musical pieces — and above all, how fun it is to play with and listen to. This app makes us want to play chords. Click here to view Andres and Alfonso’s app. The multifaceted website “After the 37,” produced by Tomoki, Sho, and Kosei, engages its users from its title on, exploring a surprising strategy for choosing the best option out of a pool of possibilities. The judges appreciated the site’s clean and captivating interface that brings the user into an interactive activity of even picking an apartment in NYC! Click here to read Tomoki, Sho, and Kosei’s essay. The judges were captivated by simplicity and elegance of Sofia’s poetic imagining of a sine curve, that “refuses to choose between joy and sorrow, or between positive or negative,” the text of the poem following the curve itself. Click here to read Sofia’s poem. Aria’s impressive, colorful 3D-animation of a ping-pong table stands out among the many Desmos demonstrations we have seen, using equations of curves, surfaces, and motion to create a colorful animation of a ping-pong table. The judges called it “impressive” and “clear,” noting that the orange parabolas used as decoration are helpful for communication. Click here to view Aria’s project. Camila’s “A Parabola’s Dating Profile” is witty and entertaining, slipping many important facts about parabolas into every corner of the piece. The judges praised the piece for being a clever idea and flawlessly executed, noting that all the little jokes are mathematically accurate and relevant. “Overall,” one said, “it’s engaging and delightful.” Click here to read Camila’s piece. In her poem “The Shape of an Answer,” Ceyda describes her frustration with mathematics class, where “symbols covered the board like quiet code.” Soon, though, vivid metaphors provide her a key: The sides of an equation are like two sides of a story and functions are promises; graphs are records of truth and change. One judge remarked that these beautiful tiny metaphorical expressions really do give insight to the concepts. Another wrote that Ceyda “perfectly captures the emotional journey from frustration to triumph in learning mathematics, wrapped in clever and apt metaphors,” continuing that the poem is a masterful use of words and imagery. Click here to read Ceyda’s poem. “What stays? What goes?” Jason’s rap song on telescoping series has an irresistible hook that encapsulates the key idea succinctly. His lively explanation of how to collapse the terms of a telescoping series is clear and clever. One judge said it was “Delightful! Very engaging, well-explained, and creative,” and another commented on the excellent pacing of this short video. Click here to watch Jason’s video. Have you ever tried to fit a sofa through a corner in