Maths staff hosted a fantastic range of activities and challenges for students and staff in the Hub to celebrate the International Day of Mathematics. The day aimed to enrich the student experience of mathematics and unite staff and students across the college to explore mathematics in a fresh new way.
The theme of this year’s event, also known as ‘Pi Day,’ was ‘Mathematics Unites’ and the first maths event since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students attempted several challenges, including marshmallow geometry, Pi estimation using Buffon’s needles or binomial expansion, a button and beer mat challenge, interactive pentominoes genius squares, and a guess the number and weight of sweets competition.
There was also a giant piece of artwork in the style of artist Ellsworth Kelly’s ‘Colours for a Large Wall’ on display that students had contributed to during lessons over the last few weeks. This piece incorporated recent work from students on transformations, symmetry, and fractions.
Students also took part in a treasure hunt by getting involved in all the activities and then uploading photos of their activities to win an Amazon voucher.
Harvey Nyul, from Foundation Learning, won the cross-college ‘Mini Eggs in a Bucket Challenge’, with the MIS team scooping the staff prize. A-level student Charlie Clynick impressively recited 151 digits of Pi from memory, and another student, Robin Berresford, managed 91 digits.
Sarah Rudge, Curriculum Manager, Maths, commented, “We had some incredible mathematical discussions, and students were keen to challenge their maths teachers at some tasks. Some students could go beyond the activities to notice strategies and patterns. At least 12 classes running that day participated in the maths challenges, with learners making discoveries and connections to their learning in lessons. Some students recognised that the problem-solving activities would help their approach to the multi-step questions on the GCSE Maths paper. One student, Ethan Conway, arrived at 7:15 am and worked on creating the maths art display. It was fantastic to see so many students freshly engaging in mathematics.”
