Maths minds' skills add up

Year 7 Mathex winners John Bryant, Michael O'Neill and Lauren Phillips.

The annual Mathex competition tests the mathematical abilities of Whanganui school children from Year 5 to Year 8 and this year it was held in the Whanganui Intermediate School hall on September 7.

Each year, questions submitted by several schools are compiled into sets of 20 for each level and teams are required to answer one question at a time.

Teacher Dawn Duncum said there were 109 teams participating this year and their speed and efficiency were impressive.

All four year groups stopped the clock by answering all 20 questions in less than 30 minutes.

"The closest contest was in the Year 7s where the two first-placed teams were both working on question 20 and only one point separated the third and fourth teams as well," said Mrs Duncum.

She said the Year 8 Whanganui Intermediate team managed a clean sweep.

"That is something no one remembers having ever happened before," she said.
Fordell School came first in Year 5 and Year 7 and Mosston School was first in Year 6.

Fordell principal Yvette Moorhouse said the teams "absolutely love everything maths" and Year 7 team members have been winning their year level at Mathex for the past four years.

These were the final placings:
Year 5: 1st Fordell (Angus Pearce, Sam Cranstone, Lennox Brotherton, Max McGregor) 20 correct in a time of 18 minutes 30 seconds; 2nd Hunterville (Iris Collie, Harry McVerry, Zach Nydegger-Monks, Sam Livingston); 3rd Bulls (Sophie Coote, Toby Smith, Jordan Tamati, Aden Simons).

Year 6: 1st Mosston (Matthew Leith, Philip Dale, Coby Chambers, Glen Mallett) 20 correct in a time of 27 minutes 47 seconds; 2nd St Johns Hill (Sophia Bedwell, Hannah Palmer, Antonia Harding, Jurek Sosnowski); 3rd Westmere (Alyssa Hartley, Samuel Greaves, Mac Lawrence, Alex Sturzaker).

Year 7: 1st Fordell (Lauren Phillips, Michael O'Neill, Elena O'Leary, John Bryant) 20 correct in a time of 18 minutes 14 seconds; 2nd Wanganui Intermediate (Calum Sinclair, Firooze Coolabavala, Maddi McKenzie, Amy Bennetts); 3rd St Georges (Amy Maskery, Daniel Burgess, Benjamin White, Molly Davis)

Year 8: 1st Wanganui Intermediate (Caleb Jackson, Kera Forrest, Tainn Simpson, Troy Brennan) 20 correct in a time of 24 minutes 46 seconds; 2nd Wanganui Intermediate (Jeffrey Lin, Will Southee, Flynn Johnston, Mia Perkins); 3rd Wanganui Intermediate (Tayla Robbertsen, Grace Gould, Rose Wildin, Jada Hoekstra).