MAV Maths Games at Ballarat High School
On Tuesday, 10th September, a group of Year 7 and 8 students represented our school in the MAV Maths Games Day, held at Ballarat High School. The event was a fantastic opportunity for our students to test their mathematical skills in a series of fun and challenging games and activities.
Students were split into teams of four within their school and competed against teams from Ballarat High School, Mt Clear College, Woodmans Hill, Mt Rowan, and Phoenix College. Throughout the day, they engaged in maths-based games involving cards, 100s charts, shapes, and equations. The challenges required not only mathematical knowledge but also strategy and a bit of chance.
As the day progressed, our students moved between stations, using tokens to compete against students from other schools, returning to their BSC team between rounds. At the end of the day, tokens were tallied to determine the overall winners. Although our students didn’t place in the top rankings, they represented Beaufort Secondary College with great pride and thoroughly enjoyed the day. Ballarat High School and Phoenix College took 1st and 2nd place respectively.
This experience was invaluable for our students, giving them the chance to work together, develop their problem-solving skills, and approach maths from a new and exciting perspective. Events like these help students realise that maths is not only a classroom subject but that it can be fun, engaging, and applicable to real-world situations. We are proud of our students' efforts and look forward to more opportunities like this in the future.
Family Puzzle: The Bridge Crossing Problem
For those who love a good challenge, here’s a puzzle inspired by those our students worked on throughout the day:
Four people need to cross an old, narrow bridge at night. They have just one lantern, and no more than two people can cross at a time. The bridge is too dangerous to cross without the lantern, and each person walks at a different speed:
- Person 1: 1 minute
- Person 2: 2 minutes
- Person 3: 5 minutes
- Person 4: 10 minutes
When two people cross together, they must go at the slower person's pace. How can all four get across the bridge in the shortest possible time? Remember, someone must always bring the lantern back!
Solution to be published in the next newsletter.