Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 19 minutes ago
Math Encounters:
"The Joy of Figuring It Out: Discovering the Rules Through Play"
featuring Gordon Hamilton, September 10, 2025
Some of the most satisfying moments in life come when no one hands you the rules — and you discover them yourself. Join puzzle designer and game inventor Gordon Hamilton, founder of MathPickle and creator of the hit game Santorini, for an evening of problem-solving adventures. In this playful, interactive presentation, Hamilton invites you into “mini mathematical universes” – worlds with hidden rules waiting to be discovered. You’ll experience firsthand how curiosity, persistence, and a dash of mischief can turn confusion into clarity, and how great puzzles can spark the problem-solving instinct in everyone!
Special introduction by Art Benjamin, Visiting Professor for Public Outreach at the National Museum of Mathematics.
Math Encounters is MoMath’s popular free public presentation series celebrating the spectacular world of mathematics. This program is funded by Simons Foundation International and administered by the Simons Foundation’s Science, Society & Culture division.
Math Encounters:
"The Joy of Figuring It Out: Discovering the Rules Through Play"
featuring Gordon Hamilton, September 10, 2025
Some of the most satisfying moments in life come when no one hands you the rules — and you discover them yourself. Join puzzle designer and game inventor Gordon Hamilton, founder of MathPickle and creator of the hit game Santorini, for an evening of problem-solving adventures. In this playful, interactive presentation, Hamilton invites you into “mini mathematical universes” – worlds with hidden rules waiting to be discovered. You’ll experience firsthand how curiosity, persistence, and a dash of mischief can turn confusion into clarity, and how great puzzles can spark the problem-solving instinct in everyone!
Special introduction by Art Benjamin, Visiting Professor for Public Outreach at the National Museum of Mathematics.
Math Encounters is MoMath’s popular free public presentation series celebrating the spectacular world of mathematics. This program is funded by Simons Foundation International and administered by the Simons Foundation’s Science, Society & Culture division.
