School pupils from across the Midlands with an interest in mathematics will be able to explore the subject and its everyday use during a two day festival to be held at the University of Birmingham on 14 and 15 September.
The annual Mathematics Festival is aimed at Year 10 pupils and will host 250 students each day to take part in workshops, challenges and relays with a problem solving theme, competing with and against their peers.
This year the Festival will also welcome Steve Otto, a former University of Birmingham lecturer who now heads the research department of the R & A, golf’s governing body. Steve will address pupils on the use of mathematics in sport in general and on how mathematics plays a pivotal role in the developments and improvements of sports equipment.
Professor Chris Parker, from the University’s School of Mathematics, says, ‘The interest in this festival dispels the myth that there is less interest in core subjects such as mathematics, as over 500 students will be attending the event from schools across the Midlands, including Leicester and Nottingham.’
The Festival aims to reinforce pupils’ budding interest in the mathematics, revealing its application in modern society and the use of simple mathematics in everyday life. Participants will also engage with their peers from other regional schools through collaboration on activities, making the event a sociable and fun day out for pupils beginning a new school year.