Maths circles are communities that encourage and nurture mathematical talent in children. The idea can be traced back to Bulgaria in the early 20th century and the Soviet Union in the 1930s. Over the years, maths circles have spread over the globe.

The maths circle movement has grown in India in the past few years. IISER Bhopal Maths Circle was started as a pilot project in 2023.

• Mathematics can be fun and engaging. The main purpose of a maths circle is to introduce children to the joy of solving mathematical puzzles. As with chess and music, mathematical talent often manifests very early. We hope to spot and nurture such talent in children of school-going age by having them interact with researchers in a friendly setting. The activity can be at any mathematical level, from simple problems involving numbers to the more abstract topics of mathematics. 

• The National Education Policy 2020 has recognized the importance of mathematics in establishing our nation’s leadership role in science and technology and emphasized the need for developing innovative methods to make mathematical thinking more enjoyable and engaging. This is exactly in line with the philosophy of maths circles.

There are many initiatives like the maths olympiad  which attract mathematically inclined children to competitions in mathematics. While these initiatives contribute to the growth of mathematical excellence through competition, maths circles play a complementary role towards building a mathematical culture in our society. The emphasis in maths circles is on collaboration rather than competition. We are less concerned with speed and performance than

with enjoyment and exploration.

• A typical maths circle session consists of guided problem-solving in a fun setting, with lots of discussion, collaboration and exchange of ideas. The facilitators will only help the discussion along, not teach and direct. They may provide occasional hints when the discussion stalls.

• IISER Bhopal Maths Circle sessions are held on Saturdays and consist of two 75-minute sessions, along with a half an hour snack break in between. In addition to problem solving, we also organize lectures by professional mathematicians and scientists that provide a glimpse of research-level topics in mathematics.

Since these sessions are conducted in person, this programme is primarily intended for students studying in schools of Bhopal in grades 6-10. However, we encourage any student studying in grades 6-10 to participate, if they can attend all the scheduled sessions of 2025  in person.  

Students need to upload their solutions to the problem sheet by July 19, 2025. Students with the best solutions will be selected and contacted directly via email and Whatsapp. 

No, solving all the problems in the problem sheet is not necessary. One needs to solve at least two problems. However, the chances of being selected will increase if you can solve more problems.

Participation is completely free of cost.

The sessions will be conducted in person in the IISER Bhopal campus on alternate Saturdays starting from August 2, 2025. A detailed schedule is here. At present we do not have any plans to conduct online sessions.

Due to logistic reasons, we will not be able to provide transportation to selected participants.  In the past, a few schools have provided  bus facilities for their students.

Since transportation is not provided, parents/guardians/teachers need to drop off and pick up the participants at the venue of the Math Circle sessions. The accompanying person(s) are not required to stay for the entire session. However, they are welcome to observe the sessions.