Math modeling takes the typical math class and expands on it. Instead of learning specific skills that are then applied to various problems, we look at how we can apply the math that we already know to new situations and also to scenarios that we would not typically think of. Engrained into our class is also many modeling competitions, such as the Modeling the Future Challenge (MTFC) and the Highschool Mathematical Contest in Modeling (HiMCM). As well as modeling, we have also learned various statistics and algebra 2 skills to prepare us for taking calculus and for our Independent Research Project. Instead of being taught with PowerPoint, we are often given example problems that we work on with a group, which will teach us some sort of new skill.
The Modeling the Future Challenge is a year-long math-modeling competition. It is broken up into multiple stages. The first stage is the project proposal, in which we brainstorm what problem specifically we would like to model. During this part, we also identify possible risks that surround this problem that could be mathematically modeled and we also identify data sources that we could draw from. For the next stage of the project, we have the opportunity to work with a professional actuary. I worked with Karena, Avanti, Saanvi, and Jack. For our project, we started off by wanting to look into how to find the optimal exercises to prevent muscle decay in Astronauts. However, we quickly found it hard to find data on that specifically. For this reason, we expanded the scope of our project to people in general. With this in mind, we could look into helping the elderly, disabled, and chronically ill by finding the best exercise for them. To see our project proposal click here.
In preparation for HiMCM, a math modeling competition, we did various modeling projects that would help us gain skills and become accustomed as to how to mathematically model. In this project, we were given a series of birthdays and a calendar, and our job was to calculate the day that someone was born on solely based on the date of their birthday and their year of birth. To see the work that Jasmine, Rishi, Dasha, and I did, click here.