When people picture a mathematician, they often imagine someone serious and anti-social, working alone in an office.
Not so in the real world of mathematics, and not so at the Canadian Team Mathematics Contest (CTMC)! The University of Waterloo’s Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (CEMC) hosts this challenging, collaboration-based contest on Wednesday, April 10.
Over one hundred of this country’s promising high school students will gather to compete at UWaterloo, accompanied by their teachers. Another four hundred students will be participating at their own schools.
Each team will be given a set of problems and asked to collaboratively solve them in a short period of time. Since the students range in age and grade, part of a team’s strategy is to assess each team member’s strengths and tackle the problems accordingly.
In the high-energy relay event, each team member answers a different challenging question in turn. The catch is that the answer to one team member’s question must be received, and correct, in order for the next team member to complete their question.
Competitors will hear a talk by computer science researcher Dr. Jeff Orchard on “Mindreading: How your brain stores numbers”.
The CTMC is organized by the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (CEMC), which aims to increase enjoyment, confidence and ability in mathematics and computer science among students and teachers in Canada and internationally. Through contests, face-to-face workshops, online resources, and publications, the CEMC provides curricular and enrichment support to elementary and secondary schools.
The enthusiasm, friendly competition and drive for excellence at the CTMC are palpable. The model of the CTMC echoes a little-known aspect of careers in mathematics and computer science. Many researchers in these fields collaborate with each other, and with experts in fields such as medicine, forensics, environmental science and the like. The CTMC gives students the experience of working together on challenging mathematics problems: because, after all, there is strength in numbers.
By Judith Koeller, Director, CTMC.