Archive for the Maths category

Year 8 Connected Curriculum D-Day

Posted: Maths

I am speaking to you from S3 in the maths block. This morning Mr Nicholl handed Year 8 the final note stating that unless he heard from them by registration this morning, that they were prepared at once to join him in his code breaking quest, a state of war would exist between the houses. I have to tell you now that no such undertaking was received and that consequently this year group is at war.

Tension was high as Year 8 battled ferociously with encryptions.  Houses clashed as rivals attempted to gain entrance to our secret lairs where mathematicians worked furiously, solving complicated Python problems. We plotted and planned and double bluffed, reliving the dilemmas that Britain would have faced when deciding where to invade occupied France. We endeavoured to produce fully functioning radios, with some people claiming to have succeeded in hearing Hitler’s broadcasts…

As D-Day loomed, we furiously crammed our brains with the knowledge we would need for the ultimate test. The test of all the skills we had amassed on this intensive training course. We could almost hear the bombs ringing out as we tramped back inside, our brains aching. Our suffering was insignificant in comparison to what the Allies would have endured when crossing the channel, knowing full well that they might never return.

Line upon line of soldiers dressed in real RAF suits, headscarves and bomber jackets marched proudly into the Lecture theatre for a speech from our General, Chris. He was very impressed with our war efforts and told us all about what it’s like to be more involved in code breaking at a higher level of expertise.

We fought valiantly and were victorious, a state of peace has now returned to Year 8. Never was so much owed by so many to so few, so thank you to all the teachers involved for making it such a memorable day!

Maths Workshop with Professor Ulrike Tillman

Posted: Maths

In September 2011, Professor Ulrike Tillman led a fascinating introductory workshop for Years 11, 12 and 13, taking us from the roots of early topology in Euler’s Bridges of Konigsberg problem (see on Wikipedia), to a more modern way of looking at this kind of problem and how topology can be used in everyday situations. The students were encouraged to work through some basic ideas for themselves, and by the end of the presentation they had arrived at one of the most fundamental theorems of topology – the Euler Characteristic.

The Mathematics of Auctions with Professor Paul Klemperer

Posted: Maths

In May 2011 year 8 delighted in a talk by Professor Paul Klemperer on ‘The Mathematics of Auctions’. This explored different methods of exploring an auction and involved using smarties as the currency. The students enjoyed this hugely, as well as learning some sophisticated economics.