Casey Clifford
Reporter
Sophomore Patrick Hompe can complete a Rubik’s Cube in under 40 seconds. Patrick is the only underclassmen in BC calculus and an active member of the math team. For some, math may just be a class that they are obligated to take, but for others, like Patrick and seniors Harrison Besser and Dichen Yin, it is an enjoyable part of their everyday. “Math can be found everywhere,” Patrick said. “It’s a really great tool to have and use lots of situations.”
While most kids were only concerned with heading to the beach over the summer, Patrick took the initiative to take an extra math class, allowing him to be challenged by new and different concepts. “The idea of taking basic concepts you know and applying them in interesting ways to difficult problems you’ve never seen before is really awesome to me,” he said. “The summer program I took part in really helped me to get ahead and be in a math class at a level I really enjoy.”
Harrison is a math team captain, along with Dichen and is currently taking multivariable calculus, agreed. “I like being able to explore problems that are defined by words using mathematical operations and formulas,” he said. “I think it’s amazing that math can simplify the ambiguous into numbers and equations.”
The math team has given students an extra opportunity to expand their knowledge of math and dive into new methods of solving problems. “A lot of the math problems on the team are pretty complex and one can rarely figure out the exact way of solving them just by looking at them, whereas most problems in math classes can be solved in similar manners that are usually taught by teachers,” Dichen said.
Harrison finds the math team challenging and beneficial because of the unique opportunity for new ways of thinking and approaching problems. “I love learning about and gaining a deeper understanding of new topics or topics that we don’t have enough time to cover in school,” he said. “Math team is great in that it provides you not only a forum to discuss and do math, but also a place that exposes you to new math you ordinarily wouldn’t see.”
Harrison also really enjoys the competition that comes with being a part of the team. “The competition and speed involved in math team is helpful for doing everyday math problems because it sharpens your attention and focus,” Harrison said. “Also, all the other members of math team giving advice on how to go about problems brings a new perspective on the math we all do in class.”
The environment that the math team creates is also intriguing to the students. “Getting together with a group of kids who share a same interest as you definitely helps your enthusiasm and knowledge grow,” Patrick said.
For Dichen, the best part about math is being able to apply it in other aspects of his life. “Since math to me seems to be an intangible concept that was created by humans, it’s amazing how it can be used in ‘real’ subjects like physics,” Dichen said. “Math is all about logic and it is everywhere so I’ll be using it for the rest of my life. I was even able to use it to ask my date to prom. I made up a problem where the answer was PR=OM and solved it in front of her during our math class.”
These students don’t see math as just an interesting subject, but rather a tool they will use for the rest of their lives. “The problem-solving skills obtained from doing math problems are applicable in many places and will be beneficial for the rest of my life,” Patrick said. “I plan on using advanced math in college and most likely in my job afterwards.”
