MATHS

DIVIDE & CONQUER - A REVIEW OF MATHS CHALLENGE 

In the same way battles can be won by dividing your enemies and conquering them a little piece at a time, solving mathematical problems often requires a similar strategy where complex elements can be separated and tackled in stages. Unlike the normal maths drill tasks as seen in class, tougher problem-solving questions require a lot more time and effort, as well as the right strategy to complete.

During the Maths Challenge program, participants were given six non-trivial problems to attempt over a 3-week period. Moreover, to gain full credit, students must present their answer(s) with justifications and reasonings. That is, no lucky guesses! These problems are often multi-parts and the process usually requires at least 2-3 pages of work to complete. Faced with such a challenge, being able to break down the problem and realise how different parts can be tackled using the relevant techniques, or how they can be connected to seemingly unrelated fields of mathematics, is a crucial skill to learn.  

To further develop this useful skill for all students who participated in the Maths Challenge program, a special feedback session: “Divide & Conquer” was held on Monday 25 November (during one of the Enhancement Club lunchtime meetings) where the key strategies for problem solving were discussed. The session opened with Mr Georgiadis using the Battle of Gaugamela where Alexander the Great defeated Darius as an analogy to how a well-conceived strategy allows one to overcome a seemingly intractable task. It was followed by an in-depth analysis of one of the Maths Challenge problems appeared in the competition this year. In the final 15 minutes of the session, students were asked to apply some of the skills discussed on the “clock reflection problem”. They reflected on the use of the ‘brute force’ method most commonly applied versus the strategic organisation and dissemination of the problem.

Overall, the Maths Challenge program gave students the opportunity to explore new ideas, strategies and thinking about mathematics beyond the classroom.

“The math competition was extremely difficult and tested our knowledge to the max.” Divyesh Ojha (Year 7) 

“It has provided us with new ways of solving problems.” Sunny Phan (Year 7)

“It was a great experience in how to solve a problem efficiently.” Julian Min (Year 7)

“The program makes us think and understand (maths) from a different perspective. It challenged us and increased our knowledge.” Metteya Gharde (Year 7)

“It helped me a lot in understanding how to solve difficult problems. From now on, I can use these methods to solve almost any math problem.” Raghav Senthil Kumar (Year 7)

On behalf of the Maths Faculty, we would like to congratulate the great effort, skills and perseverance displayed by all participants. Special thanks to Bill Manolas for his undying support for these programs and the Enhancement Club, as well as, all the maths teachers who gave up their own time in marking their students’ work for the Maths Challenge problems.

Mr Georgiadis and Mr Law

Maths Teachers