The student who sends me the best solution to this problem by 4/29 will get $50. The only requirement is that your solution must be in video form.
Can you fill a cube with a finite
number of cubes of all different sizes?
The space above be:
Last week we were 70,000 years away from the nearest star system to our own, Alpha Centauri. Today we are 20 years away. Learn more here.
The space all around me:
Next year I will be leading a spring break trip to New Zealand. Applications are due by Monday, May 2nd. Complete trip information is online at NewZealand2017.org.
I am excited to announce a new award, the Upper School Mathematics Students of the Trimester!
You can watch a video of the presentation right here.
Each math faculty member was free to choose whichever student of theirs they thought best exemplified what they are looking for in a model mathematics student. The official description of the award is as follows:
“Awarded to students who exemplify the math department’s core values of competence, confidence, and perseverance while helping their peers realize the relevance and importance of an exceptional mathematical education both for its beauty and for its practical application.”
The following students have been recognized as the Upper School Mathematics Students of the Trimester for Winter 2016.
Please join me in congratulating these outstanding mathematics students!
Zach Bernstein – Zach has always been a strong student, but during the second trimester he rose to new heights, completely dominating every topic we encountered. His command of the material has been impressive. I have relied on him to answer difficult questions, and also to lead with his quiet presence. Zach is humble, never calling attention to himself, but he’s always ready to lend a helping hand to his fellow students. Great work Zach!
Ethan Bradway – Ethan made such incredibly progress in the winter term, and so much of that progress was due to his fantastic work ethic and careful preparation. His verbal reasoning ability improved by a huge margin from where it was in the fall, and Ethan’s determination to succeed was self-evident. It was a huge pleasure to watch Ethan’s growth as a math student this past winter.
Will Fokas – Will has worked hard for the entire year in pre-calculus so far. He makes a wonderful math student of the trimester due to the effort he puts in both inside and outside of class. Outside of class he is dedicated improving his math skills by regular practice. During class Will is a leader. He volunteers to answer questions, show work on the board, and is always helping his classmates when they get stuck. He is not afraid to answer challenging questions and contributes great ideas to class discussions.
Chloe Harris – Chloe has demonstrated a relentless effort to understand the concepts in Trigonometry, Probability and Statistics. She is motivated to achieve mastery of the content regardless of the difficulty level. Chloe relies on solid study habits and, at the same time, continues to build her problem solving strategies and organization techniques. It has been great to see her progress and wonderful to have her positive influence in the classroom. [2nd time winner!]
Robby Hill – Robby has been a consistent leader in the class. Not only does Robby ask insightful questions, but he pushes his classmates to also examine the material in more depth. Robby has proven himself a very capable mathematician. [2nd time winner!]
Fuka Iwama – Fuka’s quiet determination is apparent every day. I look forward to grading her homework because it is always completed with detail and care, showing her desire to understand concepts deeply. She takes the time to connect concepts, writing notes revealing her thought processes as she works her way through the solution of a problem. Her presentations of her solutions are well-organized and quite beautiful! Her dedication to gaining a strong understanding of the theory behind the content is just as apparent in class as she shares her ideas and questions her peers, pushing herself and them to defend the reasoning behind their thoughts. As seen by her face lighting up in class, Fuka finds joy in studying and gaining insight into mathematical mysteries, the best reward for her dedicated work!
Chris Ramirez – Chris had a fantastic trimester in the Algebra II classroom. He is a dynamic learner who is quick to volunteer answers to the most challenging questions. He easily infers previously learned material into new concepts and enthusiastically ties concepts together. His written work is excellent. It demonstrates the depth of his knowledge as well as his ability to work with great accuracy. His 98 on the trimester 2 assessment was outstanding work!
Zack Robbins – Zack is a leader in our Precalculus class. He pushes himself to understand the most difficult material in the class and is always eager to explain his thought process to his peers. He helps create a dynamic learning environment. It has been a pleasure working with Zack this year.
Maya Soley – Maya exemplified preparation, passion, dedication, creativity, and positive contribution to the class experience in Video Game Programming and Design. The competency she built through her meticulous completion of classwork enabled her to execute complex and interesting original game designs that will raise the bar for future sections of this class.
Sofia Triana – TSofia made a remarkable effort this trimester in Calculus. While she struggled with the material in the first trimester, Sofia worked steadily to master both the material that had been a challenge and the new material. Because of her careful preparation for class along with attentive participation in class and coming for extra help, Sofia moved to producing honors level work. I look forward to her great work in the spring trimester!
Molly Zawacki – During the second trimester, the topics in AP Computer Science have presented a challenge to all students. Among these topics are polymorphic methods, interfaces, and the theory of inheritance among super-classes and sub-classes. Throughout these topic explorations, Molly has demonstrated the ability to quickly understand and deftly apply these concepts in programs and assessments. She is well on her way to studying Computer Science at the college level. Congratulations Molly! [4th time winner!]
Derrick Zhao – Derrick has been a consistently strong AP Calculus student all year long. Derrick has the ability to learn material very quickly. He also is able to apply what he has learned to help him figure out new and more complicated problems on his own.
What better way to impress your valentine than with beautiful mathematical patterns?
The human eye is naturally drawn to patterns, which is why repetitive designs adorn our homes and churches, printed fabrics and wallpapers are design staples, and dishes feature motifs of rotational symmetry.
With a little math, you can use hearts to create captivating and ornate graphic patterns perfect for making valentines!
An ancient math text? (Source: http://bit.ly/1Qa42N8)This just in from Mrs. Hill!
It has long been a subject of debate among mathematics historians whether Isaac Newton or Gottfried Leibniz first invented calculus. It turns out that they both may have been beaten to the idea by the ancient Babylonians as far back as 350 BCE. In a recent Science article published on January 28th, we learn that new evidence suggests that the Babylonians came up with techniques for measuring the paths of planets, the sun, and the moon across the night sky that involved the fundamental calculus idea of Riemann sums.
Between 2002 and 2008 astroarcheologist Matthieu Ossendrijver of Humboldt University in Germany noticed drawings of trapezoids in various tablets held by the British Museum. Then in 2014, Assyriologist Hermann Hunger of the University of Vienna visited Ossendrijver, bringing pictures of another Babylonian tablet with computations identical to those from the British Museum tablets. Ossendrijver realized that the Babylonians were using trapezoids to approximate the distance traveled by Jupiter across the sky from their velocity curves. This is a discovery central to the idea of integral calculus.
At Williston Northampton School, our calculus students still use similar techniques to develop the concept of the integral. The photo below shows a poster created last year by Maddy Stern ’15 in Martha McCullagh’s calculus class that highlights this same idea. Little did she know that the Babylonians had been doing the same thing over two-thousand years ago!
