Grammar Gazette- Issue 2, 2014

TFIE ART OF MATFIEMATICS

AUTHOR Ms Maggi Gunn Di rector of Mathematics and Accounting

CALCULUS. ALGEBRA. Pl. For those not mathematically inclined these terms may seem daunting and the relevance of maths study hard to grasp. However, mathematical skill and knowledge is fundamental for partrcipation in everyday life and supports a more comprehensive understanding of economic, political and social aspects of society. Numerate capabilities are required in personal, wotk and civic lives. As explained by Sociology academic Associate Professor Gordon Tait, the study of mathematics is valuable as 'it teaches you to think in an orderly fashion, to organise your premises well in order to reach a valid conclusion, to reduce problems to their functioning elements and to find some certainty in areas where there previously may have been none' (2013). While our maths classes may be bound by classroom walls, at Girls Grammar we are continually looking for ways to bring the 'real'world in. For the senior mathematics students, contextual tasks have been designed to expose students to 'real-life' situations that require extended modelling and problem-solving responses. This year, the Year 1,2 Mathematics B students designed water slides for our school pool and, more recently, combined their artistic and mathematical abilities to create an abstract or contemporary artistic design. The 'Mathematics meets Art' task required students to use graphing software lo model an abstract or contemporary design using three different mathematical functions. The design required repeated use of colour blocks and students had to demonstrate their knowledge and understandrng of integration techniques to determine areas and percentages of colours that would be needed if the design was to be reproduced in ,A4 size. The girls thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and benefited greatly from the different perspective it provided on

Yehanka Ranasinghe (12 Hirschfeld) - Malhematics meets Arl

the application of maths It was perhaps put best by the Arts Captains, Claudia Cameron (12B) and Freya McGrath (1 2L), in their assembly speech encouraging all girls to get creative: 'The way they (Year l?Malhs B students) are just breaking down boundaries between arts and academia is an inspiration to us all They are really putting the fun in function.' In the past, mathematics students have budgeted for an overseas holiday, planned a school reunion, explored the costs of purchasing and running a motor vehicle, researched and modelled stock market growth to analyse the reliability of future predictions and used a natural growth model to identify the year there will be standing room only on the earth's surface. Although our Girls Grammar students may not be required to replicate all of these tasks in their life beyond school, the exercises are designed to provide our students with experience and confidence in comprehending mathematicai information in a variety of forms and to appreciate the diverse applications of mathematics. We endeavour to assist our students in developing the abrlity to recognise when situations are suitable for mathematical analysis and to enable them to use mathematics to make informed decisions in life-related situations (OSA, 2008) The knowledge, understanding and skills developed through mathematical curricular endeavours is an essential element of the educational foundation that prepares them for life beyond school.

REFERENCES Oueensland Studies Authority. (2008) Mathematics E 2008 Senior Syllabus. hllps ://www qcaa. qld. edu au/downloads/senior/snr_rnaths-b-0S_syll pdf Tart, G (2013) IVlaking Sense of lwass Education New York: Cambridge Unlversity Press.

Annahese Thomas (12 Lrlley) - Mathemalics meets Art