2004 School Magazine

043

Faculties:Mathematics

GIRLS SOLVING IT FOR THE" SELVES >

OREA SUBJECT >

ATHE ATICS TEAM CHALLENGE >

Niot. +,^a-v", o1+10's TB--o1v", C, ^o1,118-^^^L^--a. >--- On Friday, 14 May, 25 talented Grammar mathematicians travelled to Indooroopilly Grammar team of "mathletes" from Years 8 to 12 were up to this challenge

agility The second task proved to be more straightforward. consisting of 30 relay questions completed in succession by alternating pairs of students Although Grammar did not win. all girls thoroughly enjoyed their experience and found the day a test of their knowledge. Thanks mus go to Mr Bowman and Mr Bromiley for accompanying us to this event, organising the teams and giving us all the chance to participate

State High School to compete in the annual Maths Teams Challenge. The apprehension was mounting as teams from myriad schools throughout Brisbane assembled in the main hall. measuring up their competition. The standard of this competition 15 consistently high. though equipped with our trusty graphics calculators and broad mathematical foundations, the

The initial round consisted of a paper of exceptionally challenging questions, endeavoured to test the depth of our knowledge within strict time constraints Questions ranged from finding all possible solutions to complex equations to calculating the radius of a meteorite from its depth of Impact These problems were attempted by all girls and deeply tested our mental

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differential equations and model dynamics problems but out there, thereS a real world with real data. So as reality experiences are the craze, where else would you go to get real data but Dreamworldl Students donned special CBL vests that were able to measure acceleration and pressure throughout selected rides. After downloading this data onto a computer graphics calculators and software were used to generate graphs of acceleration, velocity and displacement These graphs provided the basis for finding mathematical equations to best model the data The Giant Drop provided the wow factor for the Year 12 Mathematics C class, but the Log Ride was still an old time favourite as students tested the relationship between mass and splash by comparing a load of four girls with two teachers' The results were outstanding I A sneak preview of the new ride that Involves revolving seats moving in a pendulum swing was an extra treat to tease our mathematicalIy enquiring minds Sounds like the best way to complete an Alternative Assessment in Mathematicsi

>. On the last day of Term 11, sixteen Year 9 students attended the "Girls Solving it for Themselves" competition at Mount A1vernia College. This annual competition was open to girls in Years 8 and 9 across the Brisbane region and involved a challenging selection of mathematics and science problems Brisbane Girls Grammar School selected four teams to compete in the problemsolving tournament and it soon became obvious that cooperation and communication skills wereJust as Important as a thorough knowledge of mathematics and science. Student I^ICili^tors Hilary

Martin I I I q and Shona Wills 11 I Mj and teachers Ms Millatt and Mr Bland all commented on the positive team dynamics of the girls All four teams responded superbly to the challenges they 1:3ced, with Brisbane Girls Grammar winning the overall trophy as well as the Year 9 runneFup award Congratulations go to the winning team, consisting of Holly Duncan 19Ej, Gabrielle Mahoney 19Bl, Usa Marshall 19Ml and Claudia O'Rourke 19Rl. They proved without a doubt that when it comes to mathematics and science, Brisbane Girls Grammar students really can "solve it for themselves"