Maths students from Harrow College have pitted their wits again some of the UK's brightest young mathematicians in two tests of Maths skill, nerve and application.
On Tuesday 8 November, five students attempted the UK Senior Mathematical Challenge, a national competition for individual students, taking the form of a multi - choice exam paper with interesting and unusual questions. As a result, Hao Chen, Jiangzhi Gao and Roxana Hrib were awarded bronze certificates, while Rui Tao was awarded a gold certificate. Rui's performance was so good that it qualified her to enter for a more advanced competition, the British Mathematical Olympiad, which is described as "a very difficult paper intended for exceptional students".
On Monday 14 November, a team of four Maths students attended Merchant Taylors' School in Northwood to compete against other schools and colleges in the Middlesex heat of the Senior Team Maths Challenge (STMC), jointly organised by the UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) and the Further Maths Support Programme. The STMC is a UK-wide challenge testing mathematical, communication and teamwork skills, with students competing against other schools and colleges from their region.
The team, consisting of Hao Chen, Rucha Joshi, Jiangzhi Gao and Rui Tao, competed in three rounds - a group round, a cross-number and a "shuttle round" where the answer from one question is used to answer the next question.
Although the team did not progress into the next round, the practice sessions prior to the competition and the event itself were valuable activities for the students to be involved in.
Maths Lecturer and team mentor Kathy Fry from Harrow College said "We have entered this competition every year since 2008 and it is always a worthwhile experience for the team, stretching them mathematically and showing them that Maths can be fun and is not just a subject you learn in order to pass exams."
Well done to the team from Harrow College.
Click here for more about Maths courses at Harrow College.