Math Modeling is taught by Mrs. Burns. In this class we model real-life scenarios using mathematics and explore different solutions to a realistic problem- ranging from deriving a formula to find the days of our birthdays to using software like Mathematica to analyze data. There is no “correct” way to solve problems in Math Modeling, and we challenge ourselves by applying our existing knowledge in ways we haven’t seen or thought of before. We don’t learn new mathematical concepts from textbooks; rather, we learn from our peers in this collaborative and discussion-based class.
The “Happy Birthday” problem (POW #1) challenged us to outsmart any online calendar. The question asked us to identify the day of the week of any date between 1901 to 2100, so that we would always know what day our birthday would be on at any age. We were split into groups for this problem, and given only the October 2022 calendar as well as a few test dates. Through a combination of individual research, group discussion, and exchanging solutions with other groups, my group and I were able to create algorithms for this problem that involved both programming and arithmetic. Explore our solutions to this festive problem to the right.
The High School Mathematics Contest in Modeling (HiMCM) is a math modeling competition that we solved in teams of 3 to 4 students. Two questions are released at the beginning of the competition, and each team is given 48 hours to find a mathematical solution to an open-ended realistic scenario using any tools needed, including textbooks, past papers, and online sources.
My team (#12523) consisted of Isabella Palit, Riley Harn, Shivani Parmar, and I. We solved problem A– dubbed “The Bee Problem”--, which challenged us to model the population of honeybees over an amount of time. We poured over databases, scoured the internet, and probably learned way too much about the mating tendencies of honeybees. We submitted a comprehensive, algebraic solution to the problem and a programming supplement that you can see here!