Around Campus MATH

Chess Grandmaster Visits GCDS

On March 3, chess Grandmaster and world champion, Max Dlugy, came to campus to play chess against students. Given there are less than 100 Grandmasters in the United States, this was an excellent opportunity for students to test their skills against a successful chess player. Six games were played simultaneously and while our students played well, in the end, Max added GCDS-Grandmaster to his resume!

The Math of Sustainability

In this project-based class, students examined the mathematics of the three aspects of sustainability: economic, social, and environmental through case studies analyses. In their “Future of Energy” project, students took stock of our current energy use and considered the benefits and costs of transitioning to more sustainable forms of energy. They created a podcast and discussed topics such as the cost/benefit of residential solar panels with their guest Dr. Nikki Barratt.

Probability Carnival

Grade 7 math students created and facilitated games of chance for their annual Probability Carnival on April 21. Third- and fourth-grade students tried their luck while the seventh-grade mathematicians “wheeled and dealed,” showing off all that they had learned about the concept of probability.

Upper School Math Colloquium

Rory Ashmeade, Halsey Robinson, and Sam Santangelo, students in Mr. Coleman Hall’s Advanced Applied Math: Multivariable Calculus class, presented their semester research on a math topic of their choice at a Math Colloquium on May 23. Students presented theories and applications of fractional calculus; developed a game that models tectonic plate generation, and ocean and wind currents; and demonstrated the difference between countable and uncountable infinity. Middle and Upper School teachers attended the event to celebrate the students’ mathematical achievements.