Math and science competitions over the next several days could prove as or even more intense than the Super Bowl.

On Saturday, middle-school students from across San Mateo County and elsewhere will compete in a local tournament of the national MATHCOUNTS contest.

Some 150 students from 21 schools, including Borel Middle in San Mateo, Garfield Charter in Menlo Park and Taylor Middle in Millbrae, will compete individually and in teams in written and fast-paced oral matches at College of San Mateo. Subjects include algebra, statistics and geometry.

Winners earn awards and advance to the state finals in Davis on March 15. The top four winners from that tournament go on to the nationals in Denver on May 8-11.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, MATHCOUNTS draws about 40,000 students from across the country. The program seeks to improve students’ math skills.

If you’re still jonesing for more displays of numerical mental agility, there’s the weeklong county Math, Science and Technology Fair.

More than 400 local students from fifth to 12th grades from public and private schools will show off their projects at the fair running Feb. 3-8 at the Hiller Aviation Museum, 601 Skyway Road in San Carlos.

The exhibits will explore such questions as how fast a tooth decays in Coke, what popcorn pops best and where the Fibonacci sequence shows up in nature.

Volunteer judges, including scientists, engineers and teachers, will pick out the top projects. Winners earn ribbons and an opportunity to compete in the Bay Area or California State fairs.