This is a small but friendly group. We are active and open to new members. However, there is a distinct danger that the name of the group will be self-selecting, when it comes to potential new members. Many people may have disassociated the concepts of Maths and Fun based on experience in school. While we are content to make do with the remaining population, who have not absorbed this prejudice, our approach is, actually, not really academic. We see this as a forum for mental exercise, in 3 main ways:

• reasoning and problem-solving,
• remembering what you learned in school, and which bit of it is relevant to the current problem,
• making sense of a definition that you just found on Wikipedia.

We don't do proofs, presentations or lectures, but we do set out to look at a set of Maths problems, which may exercise our little grey cells, in our own time. Then we meet once a month to compare notes. If someone wants to take ideas, arising from those problems, and run with them, that's a personal choice. Most of the current group members would probably regard that as a potential bonus, but it's not included in the Box Standard.

Currently, we concentrate on the resources provided by u3a Maths Challenge web page, providing 4 graded Maths problems a week. That means that in a given month we will usually have 4 challenge sheets to work on. Then, we have just enough time, in the meeting, to share our results, insights, triumphs and disappointments, and, of course, compare with the official solutions. Originally, we used to range a bit more widely in our search for interesting Maths problems, with a preference for problems with a trick in them. However, we now find the u3a Maths challenge sufficiently satisfying and, what’s more, appropriate for a mixed ability group.

We also present a Maths puzzle in the u3a newsletter, with a solution appearing a month later. This is intended to whet the appetite of potential members, without dampening any enthusiasm they may have for the subject. Of course, cannot control the outcomes and, so far, we have made no attempt to measure the results.

As a taster, here's a problem that should remain interesting, even if you have seen it before:

You are employed in a factory that, among other things, packages socks. However, one of the machines has had a major software failure. It is labelling all the boxes incorrectly. You are sent to the warehouse and what you see first are three boxes labelled as red, green and mixed (red and green) socks. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find the most efficient way to determine what is actually in these boxes. How many sample socks do you need to take? And from which box(es)?

You are welcome to join us, if you are interested.

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2026 ANNUAL REPORT

When I looked back, I saw that I took over leadership of this group in time to write the previous annual report. At that stage, I had a pretty good idea what I should write. At a similar stage in this year, I’m not so sure. It won’t surprise most people if “Maths for Fun” is regarded as a niche activity and, indeed, the group is fairly small, with around seven active members. We usually gather a couple of names at “Meet the Groups” in January, but it takes a while to see, if any of those will become regular attendees at the meetings, held monthly on the 2nd Monday morning of the month, on Zoom. I want to say that we are ticking over nicely. We are not shrinking, but is that enough, when Melton u3a, as a whole, is expanding?
Eppure si muove.

As mathematicians, we have to admit to a fascination with the way that simple principles can govern and explain complex systems. As scientists, we commit to a notion of truth, that is both absolute and empirical, therefore not “social”, in a world where science, conservation and honesty sometimes seem to be as optional as the Tenth Commandment in capitalism. However, what we do, in practice, is to use a supply of maths problems, prepared under the auspices of the national u3a and delivered regularly, as mental exercises to keep the infamous grey cells in halfway decent nick.
Meeting on Zoom, implies that there will be some competition for the “floor”, as you can only really have on conversation at a time. This also means, that there is a risk that a few voices will be heard more than others. We try to be aware of this. Similarly, comparing our results over a set of problems can lead to a degree of competitiveness. However, I find, the enlightenment, of discovering and understanding where you went wrong, is usually more satisfying, than the confirmation of applying what you knew, already.
We do try to provide some outreach, in the form of a maths problem in the monthly newsletter. Initially, we crafted our own puzzles and tried to represent a variety of types of problem. Currently, we are content to select one of the Maths Challenge problems. This is less demanding on us and, we assume, less demanding on the newsletter readers.
As always, if any of this sparks your interest, you are welcome to join us.
C. J. Rupp, maths@u3ameltonmowbray.org.uk
Maths for Fun Group Leader