Contest helps students discover the fun of maths

The mathematical skills of around 200 Year 10 students from 20 secondary schools across Geelong and Western Victoria were put to the test during the 23rd Annual Deakin University Mathematics Contest held on Friday 26 August 2011 at the University’s Geelong Campus at Waurn Ponds.

Teams, each made up of five students and a teacher acting as supervisor and scorer, participated in four events with prizes awarded to the top performers.

Mr John Cameron, contest organiser and Associate Lecturer in Deakin’s School of Information Technology, said the day is always challenging but also a lot of fun.

“Both students and teachers thoroughly enjoy the contest. It is an exhilarating day of challenging competition made up of individual and team events designed to test mathematical skills in novel ways,” Mr Cameron said. “It provides a wonderful opportunity for members of different schools to exchange ideas on learning and teaching mathematics and to demonstrate their mathematical knowledge and skill.

“It is also an opportunity to show secondary students the variety of careers available from studying maths and to encourage students to go on to study maths at tertiary level.

“It’s an exhausting day of serious fun.”

Results

• Overall - Teams - Congratulations to Geelong Grammar School Team 1.
• Overall - Individual Students - Congratulations to Matt Walsh, Geelong Grammar School Team 1.
• Round Table – Each team works collectively on 10 challenging problems.
• Snap Quiz – Teams compete in pairs for four rounds of 20 verbal questions. Points are awarded to individuals as well as the teams.
• Solo Time – 10 questions are tackled individually with a set time for each question.
• Maths Relay – Divided into two pairs and a runner, each team tries to crack 20 questions in 50 minutes with consecutive questions going to alternate pairs.