Maths News

2021 AUSTRALIAN MATHS COMPETITION

Marian Catholic College will participate in this year’s Australian Mathematics Competition, on Monday, August 9. This Competition is an engaging 30 problem competition that demonstrates the importance and relevance of mathematics in students’ everyday lives.

It will be held in the Hall with a duration of 75 minutes. The Competition consists of 30 questions, 25 of which is a multiple choice questions, and 5 questions require a number answers. Students need to bring a 2B pencil and an eraser only. No calculator is allowed.

The Competition started in Australia in 1978, was the original, and is now one of the largest of its kind in the world. More than 40 countries participate in the AMC each year and is recognised as an international benchmark for mathematics performance.

E. BLANCO

Mathematics Leader of Learning

PI Day Celebration

The college will celebrate  Pi (π) Day on Monday, 15th of March. There will be different activities and competitions in all the Mathematics classes that students will enjoy.  There will be the yearly bake a cake/cupcake contest for the culinary enthusiasts where the students’ creativity in decorating the pie cakes/cupcakes will be the main criteria in judging. There will be a competition for writing words that start with pi, as well as Trivia questions where answers start with pi. Other students will enjoy the Story time of Sir Cumference and the First Round table. And for the art enthusiasts, there will be  the color in competition using the values of pi. Voucher prizes will be given to students who won the class challenge activities.

E.BLANCO

Maths Coordinator

2021 Maths Challenge Competition 

 The Maths Challenge is on again this year. It will start on the last week of this term up to week 3 of Term 2. Students receive a problem book containing six problems  from Years 7 to 10  ( Junior and Intermediate levels). They are required to present written solutions to as many of these problems as they can. The problems are challenging and require time and persistence, but are based on maths that should be known at that level. Students in the Junior and Intermediate levels may work with a partner who has also entered the Challenge. However, separate solutions must be submitted by each student. 

I will mark the submitted solutions from marking schemes and solutions provided by the AMT in the Teacher Guide. This also provides alternative solutions, some discussion of the origin, mathematics and teaching issues associated with each problem, and some extension problems with solutions; it is a valuable classroom resource. Marks are submitted to the AMT and, after processing, various levels of certificates are issued. 

Students are allowed to seek help from any resources other than human ones—textbooks, encyclopaedias, etc., calculators and computers. Note that websites offering help with problems are really human resources, so are not allowed, but the use of a computer-based encyclopaedia or a website providing maths information of a general nature is fine. I will be checking on progress from time to time and may be able to answer questions of clarification. Some class time will be set aside for consultation with partners. 

The Maths Challenge is designed to be an enjoyable and valuable.

Mrs. Blanco

Mathematics leader of Learning