Who said math only lives in textbooks? Mathemania 2025 transformed our school into a hub of excitement, challenges, and fierce but friendly competition — proving that numbers can be just as thrilling as any sport or game. Mathemania is our middle school’s math fest, where students take part in various math-themed games like relay races, treasure hunts and tambola.
Adding to the energy was the house rivalry! Students representing their respective houses- Bhanu, Bhaskar, Tejas, and Surya- to score the most points and bring glory to their house. The culture at Step by Step School truly shines through as we see students, especially in middle school, put in extraordinary effort, driven by pride in their house and the identity it represents. In a world where many students see math as a difficult or intimidating subject, Mathemania turns it into a shared adventure — helping everyone realise that problem-solving can be exciting, collaborative, and make joyful memories with this subject.
Relay Race: Run, Solve, Pass!
This wasn’t the usual baton-passing event. Each runner had to solve a math problem before handing over the baton, making it a test of both speed and sharp thinking. With the crowd cheering and the clock ticking, every correct answer brought teams one step closer to victory.
Treasure Hunt: Clues in Calculation
Armed with math riddles, teams navigated the school grounds in search of hidden clues. Each stop brought a fresh puzzle to crack before moving forward. It wasn’t just about running — it was about decoding, deducing, and sometimes debating which way to go next!
Mathebola: Tambola with a Twist
For those who preferred a seat to a sprint, Mathebola offered a perfect mix of strategy and suspense. Players solved math questions, and if the answer matched a number on their ticket, they could cross it off. The excitement built up until someone finally called out “Bingo!”
Interactive Museum Exhibit
The Mathematics Museum, where each middle school classroom was converted into a lively exhibition area, was another highlight of Math Day. Students presented subjects ranging from the history of mathematics and cryptography to fractals and infinity. They made abstract mathematical concepts come to life for all visitors with captivating exhibits, imaginative presentations, and practical exercises.
A huge thank you to the Mathematics Department for helping plan and execute this fest so brilliantly, and to the students for showing such enthusiasm!
Until next year, keep solving, keep competing, and stay curious!
Math article
Math in our lives-
Nature’s Mathematicians: The fascinating relation between Cicadas and Prime numbers.
The Cicada is an extraordinary insect known for its deafening rattle as the loudest insect in the world. Out of the 3,000 species this article will focus on the two most unique species, the Magicicada Septendecim and Magicicada Tredecim. Found primarily in North America they are known for their unique, prolonged life cycles and use of prime numbers for survival.
When the insect emerges, it is vulnerable and an easy target for predators including- birds, squirrels, cats, turtles, fish, spiders and even humans! The two insect species’defense mechanism and tactic to avoid these predators is the fascinating part.
In comparison, other species that emerge every 1–2 years Magicicada Septendecim and Magicicada Tredecim emerge every 13 or 17 years respectively which are both prime numbers. This allows them to survive for longer than the other species by asynchronising their life cycles with their predator’s life cycles. Also making it difficult for predators to predict when they will emerge. In the bar chart below we can see that having a prime number life cycle increases survival chances by 96 percent!
Because prime numbers are only divisible by 1 and the number itself, any insect that has a prime number life cycle will have lesser chances of emerging with its predator. To understand this further, if we take an example of Cicadas that has a life cycle of 12, any predator with the life cycle of 1,2,3,4,6 and 12 will be able to intercept the cicadas.
Because these numbers are factors of 12.
The predator with a 2 year life cycle will hunt the cicada every 6th generation (2×6=12). And just like that the predator with the life cycle of 4 years will hunt the cicada every 3rd generation.
But in the case of a 13 year life cycle cicada, a 2 year life cycle predator will only be able to hunt it every 26th generation. And a predator with a 4 year life cycle every 52th generation. Which makes it quite a significant difference. This is because 13 is not divisible by any of the numbers 12 is except for 1 ofcourse.
In conclusion, the intricate relationship between cicadas and prime numbers highlights their strategies for survival. Now is this just a coincidence or are Cicadas nature’s true mathematicians a question we won’t be able to solve…
Because prime numbers are only divisible by 1 and the number itself, any insect that has a prime number life cycle will have lesser chances of emerging with its predator. To understand this further, if we take an example of Cicadas that has a life cycle of 12, any predator with the life cycle of 1,2,3,4,6 and 12 will be able to intercept the cicadas.
Because these numbers are factors of 12.
The predator with a 2 year life cycle will hunt the cicada every 6th generation (2×6=12). And just like that the predator with the life cycle of 4 years will hunt the cicada every 3rd generation.
But in the case of a 13 year life cycle cicada, a 2 year life cycle predator will only be able to hunt it every 26th generation. And a predator with a 4 year life cycle every 52th generation. Which makes it quite a significant difference. This is because 13 is not divisible by any of the numbers 12 is except for 1 ofcourse.
In conclusion, the intricate relationship between cicadas and prime numbers highlights their strategies for survival. Now is this just a coincidence or are Cicadas nature’s true mathematicians a question we won’t be able to solve…
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