2001 School Magazine

BS : maths summer school

Mathematics can be fun! That's the driving philosophy ofTerry Gagen who convenes the National Mathematics Summer School (NeMeSiS) held in Canberra every year. Terry 15 Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Sydney, and under his direction NeMeSiS has established the reputation of presenting the most stimulating and innovative Mathematics program in the country This yearlwas one of fifteen Queenslanders who flew to Canberra to experience Telry's unique approach. I had entered the Annual Mathematics Competition held by the Queensland Association of Mathematics Teachers in 2000. and although I was in Year 11 at the time, I was lucky enough to win the competition for Year 12, and as a result I was invited to attend NeMeSiS it meant giving up two weeks of my January holidays at the start of 2001, but I had heard so much about NeMeSiS, that when I received the invitation there was little doubt in my mind that I wanted to go. As it turned out NeMeSiS provided two of the most exciting and stimulating weeks I've ever had About 100 students travelled to Canberra from all around Australia We stayed in comparative luxury at Bruce Hall in the beautiful grounds of the Australian National University, not far from Lake Burley Grimn and Parliament House

Each day we attended lectures at the Manning Clark Centre where we were introduced to a wide range of higher level Mathematics including Number Theory and Chaos Theory. This was a lot more interesting than it might sound. The lectures were quite informal, and Terry and the other lecturers infused their teaching with a great dealof enthusiasm and humour Even the most difficult and abstract mathematical concepts provided plenty of laughs The lectures were followed by tutorials and practical sessions in which we explored Mathematical concepts and strategies in depth These sessions focused on the application of Mathematics to real life problems, and developing strategies to solve these problems

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We learned for example that Chaos Theory has been used in the design of washing machines, to produce an irregular oscillation of water that leads to cleaner, less tangled clothes We also studied the application of Chaos Theory to the twitching of muscles in the human heart, the healthy operation of the brain, and even the dripping of a leaky tap The lectures and tutorials on Topology were particularly interesting In these we explored four and five dimensional shapes, and created some of these imaginary shapes for ourselves. We also learned strategies that would allow us to create notional shapes in an infinite number of dimensions There was also plenty of time for sport, social activities and sightseeing Each afternoon and evening students relaxed at Bruce Hall, where we could play table tennis or pool. Some students played tennis or soccer, or went swimming, ice skating or bowling. Sightseeing excursions included the famous Mount Stromlo

The evenings were always a lot of fun There was a continuous table tennis competition, and a joke session every evening. Other evening activities included a concert, a formal dinner and a disco The accommodation at Bruce Hall was excellent. Every student had a private room with their own desk, as well as a telephone, a hand basin, and facilities for making coffee and tea Two weeks at NeMeSiS went all too quickly, and we were sad when it was over. We all had a great time, and there were tears all round as we said goodbye NeMeSiS 2001 was one of the greatest experiences of my life, as well as one of the most stimulating and educational. I had been a little ambivalent about giving up two weeks of my holidays to study Mathematics, but as it turned out they were the best weeks of holidays I've ever spent

Margaret Chung

Observatory, the Black Mountain Tower, Parliament House and the National Art Gallery

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