December 1 - Day of Mathematician in Russia: the history of the emergence of a new holiday date

In Russia, the Day of the Mathematician is celebrated at the beginning of winter. This is a new professional holiday, which will be celebrated for the first time on December 1. In 2024, the celebration falls on a Sunday. About the history of the emergence of the holiday date and what events will be held on this day, tell "Izvestia".

History of the new holiday - the Day of mathematician in Russia - 2024

Until now, the Day of the Mathematician in our country was celebrated on April 1. The traditions of its celebration date back to the early 1990s. However, the celebration did not have an official status and had an informal character.

Rector of Moscow State University (MSU) Viktor Sadovnichy took the initiative to establish such a holiday at the state level. This proposal was first voiced during the All-Russian Congress of Teachers and Teachers of Mathematics, which was held at the university in November 2023.

Then about 4 thousand specialists from 80 regions of Russia and a number of foreign countries gathered to participate in it. In the spring of 2024 to fix the Day of the mathematician in the calendar was ordered by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. The corresponding order in early May was published on the official website of the Russian government.

December 1 - the birthday of the outstanding Russian mathematician, rector of Kazan University Nikolai Lobachevsky (1792-1856) - was chosen as the date of celebration. The scientist became famous as the creator of non-Euclidean geometry and one of the prominent figures of university education and public enlightenment in Russia.

What events will be held on the Day of the Mathematician on December 1

On the occasion of the event, the capital and other Russian cities will host enlightening and educational events aimed at popularizing the achievements of fundamental and applied mathematics, as well as increasing interest in mathematical science among schoolchildren.

A lot of events on the Day of Mathematician will be held within the walls of the Moscow University. Here on December 1 will be held "Mathematical Kaleidoscope" for pupils of 5-11th grades and junior students. According to the website of the organizers, interactive lectures and seminars, quests, master classes and intellectual competitions from leading scientists are waiting for participants.

Schoolchildren of sixth-seventh grades will be able to take part in the Internet Olympiad "Invitation to the Mathematical Holiday", which will be held from December 1 to 8 at the Moscow Electronic School (MES) and on the Sirius platform. And pupils of 10-11th grades during the same period are invited to take an online test "I Choose Profile Mathematics" and check their readiness for the USE in this subject.

The holiday is also timed to coincide with the meeting of the Association of Mathematics Teachers in Moscow and the conference "Mathematics and Mathematics Education in the Modern World" in St. Petersburg.

In addition, a scientific conference "Actual Problems of Mathematics" is scheduled for the first days of December. The event will be held in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Maikop, Kazan and Nizhny Novgorod - at the National Research Nizhny Novgorod State University, which bears the name of Nikolai Lobachevsky.

Math Day 2024: interesting facts about mathematics

Mathematics is rightfully considered the queen of all sciences. Historically, it was formed on the basis of operations of counting, measuring and describing the forms of various objects. This field of knowledge got its name from the Ancient Greek word "mathema", which means "research", "teaching", "science". It is noteworthy that in ancient Greece, this was the name of absolutely any scientific knowledge.

Today it is difficult to name such an area of human activity, where mathematics would not be applied. Mathematical knowledge is necessary in construction and architecture, economics and business planning, IT-industry and financial sector. Having a mathematical mindset is also becoming more and more important due to the development of technology and the modern information society.

There are several international dates related to mathematics in the world. For example, March 14 is the International Day of Mathematics, proclaimed by UNESCO in 2019. The same date is also known as the Day of the number "Pi" - a mathematical constant that expresses the ratio of the length of a circle to the length of its diameter.

Earlier "Izvestia" told how to instill a love of math in a child.