2014 School Magazine

MATHS TEAM CHALLENGE KATRINA XIAO (10W) In May, 25 girls from Years 8 to 12 travelled from Brisbane Girls Grammar School to Indooroopilly State High School for the annual regional Maths Team Challenge Competition. The competition consisted of two rounds, the first round being a group challenge where all team members contribute to answering the questions. The second round was a relay challenge where only two people in the group would work on a problem and they could only move on if they correctly answered or passed the question. The aim of the day was to stimulate interest in complex mathematics, and ultimately, form friendships with other competitors. After two intense sessions of challenging problems (and a full bag of sweets), the day was over and before we knew it, the winners were being announced.

This year, two BGGS teams placed in the top three. In the senior division BGGS placed an outstanding third and my team placed second by two points! While it was slightly disappointing that we only just missed first place, we were all extremely grateful for the opportunity to compete for our School. I have participated in this competition every year since Year 8 and I could not have been more appreciative to the teachers for taking time out to prepare us and supervise on the day. Competing in the Maths Team Challenge competition has been a complete honour for me and I highly recommend it to any budding mathematician. ■

QUEENSLAND ASSOCIATION OF MATHEMATICS TEACHERS (QAMT) – PROBLEM SOLVING COMPETITION ABIRAMI SOMASUNDARAM (9M) The QAMT problem solving competition ran for two hours in which we were given five complex questions to solve. These were rewarding experiences that challenged my mathematical abilities and I would definitely recommend these competitions for all students. ■

CO-CURRICULUM / 115