Math, taught by Ms. Burns!
Course Description
Math Modeling is very different from any other math course I have taken before because it is heavily based on developing your own methods to solve problems and it includes very little lecturing. A prominent part of class is "challenge problems", where we are given a problem that challenges us to use what we already know in new ways and learn new ideas and methods. They also show that there are often many different ways to get to the same answer. Another major part of this class is math competitions. We all participate in NEML (New England Math League), which is an online math competition where we are given 30 minutes to answer 6 problems, HiMCM (High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling)), which is a 50-hour-long math modeling competition where you work with a group to develop logical solutions to real world problems, in addition to MTFC (Modeling the Future), where we work with actuaries to come up with solutions to a problem of our choosing that minimizes risks. Ms. Burns also runs Math Team, which I am a part of, and we attend WOCOMAL (Worcester County Mathematics League) meets. Scroll through this page to see some of my completed math assignments!
MTFC is a group competition where students work on a research project with practicing actuaries to analyze risks and minimize them and make recommendations. The competition spans over months, and so far we are on round 2. All MAMS teams made it through round 1, and the team I am a part of, What the FUNCTION, was recognized for our interesting topic idea. Our project topic focuses on the relationship between social media and children's attention span and behavior. We chose this due to the strong impact we believe social media has on our vocabularies.
This assignment was our second Problem of the Week (POW) assignment, based around your birthday and finding what day you were born on simply based on an October calendar and your date of birth. Some background on POWs are that we are given a few days to solve the given problem with a group and construct a write up, focusing on the clarity of explanations. Expressing your process is a very important skill math modeling helps us gain, and I know I will use use what I learn regarding expressing my math ideas in the future.