Maths at Mac.Rob | Term 3 Update.
Celebrating Success in Mathematics.
At Mac.Rob, our students’ achievements in Mathematics reflect not only individual excellence, but also the collective growth and vibrant learning fostered by our co-curricular programs. The enthusiasm with which Mac.Rob students take up opportunities to extend their learning is always fantastic and so far this year we have had over 750 individual entries to Maths competitions with more to come! The students below have particularly excelled in these programs.
The Computational & Algorithmic Thinking (CAT) Competition. Students were challenged to design algorithms and solve multi-stage tasks that test analytical thinking.
Alice W (9A) was at the very top of the High Distinction category and was awarded a prize.
Amelie S (11B) and Naomi K (12K) achieved Distinctions.
Australian Training Tournament. An invitation-only, high-performance pathway program.
Hazel Ch (11J) earned a Distinction.
Maths Challenge. Students solved a demanding set of problems designed to nurture joy and curiosity in mathematics.
Annie H (9K) and Alice W (9A) earned High Distinctions
VCE Games Day. Grace L (12D), Mireille H (12F), Kitty Z (12A), Hazel C (11J), and Lisa P (11C) earned Third Place for their collaborative work on problem-solving tasks. A detailed article about the Games Day can be found below.
In addition to success in the broad range of cocurricular Mathematics opportunities, our students also excel in their VCE Mathematics subjects. Congratulations to Rithika Ramesh (Year 12, 2024) for receiving a Premier’s Award in General Mathematics. The annual Premier’s VCE Awards recognise students who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) and receiving this award is an outstanding achievement. Rithika was one of three students who achieved a perfect study score of 50 in General Mathematics in 2024 and we are also delighted to have had two students achieve study scores of 50 in Mathematical Methods.
Beyond these notable successes, we’re proud of every student who engaged in the School’s maths programs. Doing so demonstrates their willingness to explore and expand their limits, to tackle challenges and their openness to growth.
Ms. Fraine Mahoney
Domain Leader - Mathematics
MAV Maths Games Day.
On August 1st, ten lucky Mac.Rob students represented our school in the senior division of the MAV Maths Games Day at RMIT. We were among fierce competition, with around 40 school teams from all across Victoria competing for the Games Day trophy and eternal mathematical glory.
The day opened with an insightful presentation by Dr. Mahshid Sadeghpour on the real-world applications of mathematics in the fields of data encryption and security through biometrics. Inspired and ready for a mathematical challenge, we began the first round with a series of tricky, Sudoku-like puzzles, modified to include different sets of numbers such as primes or perfect squares.
Next, our teams moved on to a five-round Swiss competition, where they were tasked with finding patterns and accurately predicting future numbers in these sequences - some of which required students to mentally calculate 2^20 or complex permutations under strict time limitations!
The third and final round was a fast-paced relay of olympiad-style maths questions which featured negative bases, modular arithmetic, and the Fibonacci Sequence. After a long day of mathematics, Mac.Rob Team A proudly claimed third place, our best result to date!
Many thanks to Mr. Ly and the Maths Faculty for making Mac.Rob’s participation in the MAV Maths Games Day possible, and to RMIT for hosting the event. Congratulations to all of our competitors for representing Mac.Rob with dedication and a passion for maths!
Grace L (12D)