Math modeling, taught by Ms. Burns, covers many topics, including number theory and statistics, and weaves many math modeling competitions into the curriculum, such as the Modeling the Future Challenge (MTFC) and the High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling (HiMCM).
Our first exposure to math modeling was through the Epsilon School, which is facing a problem: they are expanding their student population, and need to hire additional faculty members in the fairest manner possible. This presentation introduced many aspects of math modeling, including the need to define assumptions like what is considered "fair" and what patterns course enrollments will follow. Click here to view the PDF in a new tab.
In this class, we receive questions known as "Problems Of the Week" or POWs. We are assigned a group and a problem and work together with our group to solve the problem. Ultimately, we write up a document explaining the main premise of the problem, the approach to solving the problem, our solution to the problem, and potential extension questions, along with a personal reflection. The Birthday POW asks for a simple algorithm anyone can follow using only a calculator. This algorithm should help people determine the day of the week of their birthday, given the month, day, and year of their birthday. Scroll to the Solutions section (middle of page 2) to test out if this algorithm works with your birthday! Click here to view the PDF in a new tab.