MATHEMATICS

Moments in Mathematics

Junior School

The Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) strand of SEAL for Years 7-10 is designed for students whose passion clearly lies in the Mathematics and Science areas. Students selected for this strand of SEAL are very active learners who enjoy seeking solutions to challenging problems. In Mathematics they tackle problems with self-assurance and are prepared to take risks with mathematical concepts and strategies. They are also able to grasp mathematical concepts and strategies with good retention, and relate mathematical concepts within and across content areas and real-life situations.

Our Year 9 STEM students are currently preparing for their move into the senior school next year by working through the Year 10 Quadratic Functions Topic, which combines and utilises much of the knowledge, skills and strategies covered up to this point. Successful understanding of this topic will form a solid foundation for students to tackle VCE Units 1 & 2 of Mathematical Methods next year, a year ahead of time.

Senior School

Our Year 12 Specialist Mathematics students are just starting their final Unit, Probability and Statistics. They begin by looking at the normal distribution and calculating probabilities based on it. Many natural phenomenon can be modelled by the normal distribution, and we will study how to mathematically prove that there are changes in our data (i.e. Are global temperatures really warming? Is the insect population really shrinking? Are doughnuts really getting smaller?). Everything is based on probabilities, and we study how to be 99% (or even more) sure that what we thought to be occurring, has actually changed.

Family Fun

How did you go with the brain teasers last week? The answers were “32 crates”, “Rebecca > Beverly > Sara > John > Jason”. This week’s challenges are all about construction:

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

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