Math to the Max

From Math Circles to Pizza and Problems, math is celebrated at KES and opportunities abound to flex some mathematical muscle. After the March Break, no time was wasted getting our problem-solving engines revved up. On Wednesday, March 27, Phil Bednara '28, Sokha Ebert '30, Chelsea James '29, Bethany MacDougall '29, Max Proctor '27, Ruari Ryan '29, and Isaac Woodworth '27 headed to Dalhousie University for the monthly Math Circles event.

The presenter was Dylan Pearson, a Dalhousie Master of Mathematics student, and the presentation was all about the game of Cops and Robbers on graphs. Students had fun playing the role of cop or robber following the mathematical rules set out. The game is well-studied mathematically, and an analysis of different scenarios predicted accurately when the cop or the robber would win. The presentation was creative and interactive, and the pizza was delicious too!

The following week, 20 Grade 9 students took part in the University of Waterloo’s Fryer competition. Unlike the previous multiple-choice Pascal Contest, the Fryer’s focus was on solution design and accuracy. There is an art to creating a complete and logical solution and continued exposure to these types of problems builds confidence and competency. In preparation for the Fryer Contest, a Pizza and Problems afternoon was held in my classroom on Tuesday, April 2. The room was abuzz as students collaborated and collectively solved some challenging contest problems. Hats off to Phil Bednara, Micah Burch-Pottie '27, Alethea Cheng '29, Andrew Klein '27, Max Proctor, Ruari Ryan, Isabelle Sampson '28, Preston Savignac '28, Emma Walchhuetter '27, Nathan Woo '28, and Chuhao (Cavan) Xiong '27 for their determined approach and effort. Math can be creative and a lot of fun when shared with friends.