No matter one's previous math experience, one will always find
something new to learn in Math Modeling. Through problem sets and
challenge problems, this course forces you to think about math in a
way unlike you ever have before. Although the math is not easy, these
difficulties are made possible by the truly collaborative environment
where every student is encouraged to share their problem solving
strategies.
Additionally, concepts learned in Math Modeling have
countless cross-curricular applications.
COMAP’s High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling (HiMCM) is an
annual 2-week math modeling competition. Each year, students are
presented with two open-ended problems. Participants choose one
problem, and then create a model to solve it. The contest is concluded
with a 25 paper, detailing the team’s strategy and solution.
My team (Claire, Phia, Tim) selected the dandelion problem.
We made this decision because we believed that there was more room for
us to show our math modeling skills. There were two major parts to
this problem. Firstly, my team had to create a model to predict the
spread of a single dandelion over a one-hectare plot of land over the
course of a year. This model had to take into account the various
climatic conditions that affect dandelion growth. For the second task,
my team needed to make a mathematical model to determine the "impact
factor" of any invasive species. This was based on the characteristics
of the invasive plants and the degree of harm they inflict on humans
and the environment.
Over the course of three days, we poured everything we had
into creating our model, and we are excited to participate again next
year.
In February, the contest results will be released. Check back
then to see our solution.
Unable to display PDF file? Download the problem instead.
In A-Term, groups completed the Birthday Problem of the Week. For this
challenge, teams had to create a model that would allow users to find
the day of the week for any historical or future date between 1901 and
2100.
My team was able to use tools that we had learned in the
Shuffling problem set such as modulus and pattern recognition. Our
process began by finding the first day of 1901. Then, we observed
calendar cycles and found that we were then directly able to calculate
the first day of the target year. From there, we looked at what number
day of the year the target date was. This allowed us to find the day
of the week of the target day!
Below is our solution, see if you can find the day you were
born on!
Unable to display PDF file? Download the write-up instead.