MATHEMATICS/

NUMERACY

Moments in Mathematics

We would like to start this article with an acknowledgement of the effort, resilience, and engagement that our students have shown during this necessary but challenging time of remote education. It has been reassuring to keep in contact with students through various online communications, mainly Teams meetings, Compass and emails. And we are thankful for the support that they have received at home, regarding their education but most importantly their wellbeing. 

Please reach out to your teachers, or our wonderful BSC Wellbeing team if you need anything; we’re all here to support you.

Junior School

During next week our Year 9 students will experience their first examinations. This is a great opportunity to experience both the preparation and undertaking of an exam, and will give students valuable insight into their senior school exams starting in Year 10. For Mathematics, our Year 9 students will undertake a technology-active examination that covered the topics we have focused on this semester – Linear Algebra, Probability, and Measurement. It is structured to provide students with exposure to Multiple Choice, Short Answer, and Extended Response questions, combinations of which are found throughout the assessments undertaken in senior Mathematics subjects.

Senior School

With our move to remote education last week, some of the senior examinations were postponed until next week. However, the Year 9 STEM, Year 10 Foundation/General/Enrichment Mathematics, Year 11 General Mathematics, and Year 11 IB Mathematics students have all undertaken their examinations and are to be congratulated on their efforts. The examinations provide students an opportunity to test their revision and examination techniques, as well as demonstrate and receive feedback on their understanding of the content covered so far. Best of luck to our Year 11 Mathematical Methods students for their examinations next week.

Family Fun

If mathematics is your strength you may have found the first challenge easy to solve ($15.50), but the second required some creativity (7 because seven eight (ate) nine)! This edition’s puzzles are all about building – can you solve them before the answers are revealed in the next edition?

- If it took 6 people 9 hours to build a barn, how long would it take 12 people to build the same barn?

- If four men can build four tables in four hours, how many tables can eight men build in eight hours?