Harrow College student Hao Chen, studying AS Maths, recently attended a series of Maths masterclasses at Greenwich University. He shares his account of these sessions and the experience of rubbing shoulders with the UK’s young mathematics elite.
“I participated in the Mathematics Masterclasses held by the Royal Institution at the University of Greenwich. The university is located by the side of the River Thames and close to Greenwich Park. The view from the campus is incredible.
The masterclasses consisted of six sessions, taught on six separate days, and we were taught by a different lecturer each time. There were around a hundred students sitting in the hall. We concentrated very carefully when teachers were talking. Everyone’s brain was moving fast as we discussed our thoughts, shared our ideas and compared our methods.
In each session we were taught different and challenging mathematics topics including the Fibonacci Series, Perfect and Mersenne Numbers. I had not previously heard about these types of numbers. We solved some interesting puzzles. We also went into detail about integration and differentiation. This was really much harder than what we are currently doing in our A level course. We learnt about how mathematical skills were used to save the Cutty Sark. If I say Maths has a strong connection with music, you may not believe me, but it is true. We can combine sound waves to produce a sin graph or cos graph. People use the different wave properties to produce violins.
I used to think Maths is not very useful in our daily life, but after the Mathematics Masterclasses, I realised I was wrong; Maths is useful in every aspect. Engineers need Maths, architects need Maths and chemists need Maths. Maths is extraordinarily important in our lives.
It was a fantastic experience for me to broaden my view of Maths, study with other keen Maths students and challenge myself. This experience has enhanced my determination to study Mathematics in the future.”
Click here for more about studying maths at Harrow College.