Whanganui students top the table in math challenge

PROBLEM SOLVERS: Winning team from Whanganui High School (from left) George Iliffe, Josiah Kirk, Owen Parkinson and Massey University Vice-Chancellor Professor Jan Thomas.

A team from Whanganui High School has topped the table in the annual Massey Manawatū Maths and Stats (M3S) Competition.

Year 12 students George Iliffe, Josiah Kirk and Owen Parkinson were up against teams from seven other schools in Friday's competition at Massey University.

The competition involved Whanganui High School, Waiopehu College, Feilding High School, Palmerston North Girls' High School, Awatapu College, Dannevirke High School, Freyberg High School, and Palmerston North Boys' High School.

Teams of three Year 12 students had to answer NCEA Level 1 Mathematics and Statistics questions without the use of calculators. The competition focuses on problem solving skills and the ability to work as a team, as teams must decide how long to spend on each question.

MC Dr Richard Brown, of the Institute of Fundamental Sciences, said the competition provided an exciting opportunity for students to experience the kind of competitive environment usually reserved for sporting competitions, but in an academic context.

Institute of Fundamental Sciences head, Professor Martin Hazelton said good mathematical training can provide a wealth of opportunities for students, with employers handling ever-increasing amounts of data.

"Mathematics and statistics provide the tools to understand these data, to tease out important patterns from a mass of numbers. The applications are endless, from predicting the stock market, to unravelling genetic information in order to personalise medical treatments."

The programme was established in 2014 as a promotional drive to encourage students to study mathematics and statistics at the University.