Are boys or girls better at maths? How can colouring a map help with decision-making? Is sculpture influenced by mathematics? Three Year 9 pupils from Plymouth College have been working out the answers.
Clarissa Hocking, Matthew Andrews and Niall Mahoney took up the challenge to join other able maths pupils at the University of Plymouth’s Year 9 Masterclasses. Giving up their Saturday morning lie-ins and regular weekend activities, they spent five Saturday mornings extending their maths. They were introduced to ‘Hypothesis Testing’ and ‘Problems from the Past’. In addition, Sculptor Simon Thomas showed samples of his work and directed the pupils in some practical activities.
Clarissa particularly enjoyed the second masterclass on the history of maths, while Niall liked making the 3-D models, which involved choosing and combining polygons to form the surfaces. Matthew summed up that the masterclasses were interesting and introduced him to a new side of maths.
