Math Modeling, taught by Mrs. Burns, is a class that focuses on applying math to real-world problems in new and creative ways. We use the skills we learned from Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, and Pre-Calculus to solve challenging problems and build strong problem-solving skills. At the start of the year, we worked on number theory, covering topics like modular arithmetic and base conversions. Then, we moved on to Exeter problems that covered topics like trigonometry and vectors. One important unit of the class was a unit on statistics, which helped us with STEM research projects by teaching us how to use different tests and figure out which ones work best in different situations. We also participate in various math competitions, such as Modeling the Future, and New England Mathematics League (NEML).
A main math competition we do as a part of the Math Modeling class, is MTFC. This stands for “Modeling the Future Challenge.” Essentially, this competition allows our groups, typically consisting of 5 people, to decide on a world problem we want to analyze using data. I am working with Ishana Saroha, Hasini Gujjari, Vyshnavi Donthabhaktuni, and Avani Jain. Our topic we wanted to look into is how social media use affects suicide rates in teens. We identified risks, risk mitigation strategies, and gathered some data for this topic that we chose. Overall, this challenge is about working with math, but it also involves data analysis, reasoning with logic, and critical thinking skills, making it a very engaging and challenging process.
The Epsilon School project was our first group math modeling project in this class. We had to solve the problem: How do you fairly allocate seven new faculty members to nine different departments in the school. The reason change was occurring was due to the fact that the school population was set to increase significantly. My group consisted of Lilian Amer, Varsha Alladi, and myself. We used the data given about the student enrollment to calculate student-to-teacher ratios for each department. We were able to come to the conclusion that departments with higher ratios needed more teachers, so we allocated the new facility to those respective departments. With all the information given to us all at once in the beginning, it was hard to decide how to go about solving this problem. But once we generated a plan, we worked through it slowly, checking our work as we went along, and eventually, we came up with a feasible solution to the initial problem.