On Friday 17th of January, 5 A Level Maths students travelled tothe Institute of Mathematics at Oxford University for the ‘It All Adds Up’ Maths event.
To start, the girls listened to Dr Beth Romano talk about ‘sneaky segments’ on graphs and from these the probability that tworandom points share a common factor using their prime factors.
From this she taught the pupils that sometimes probabilities are not what they initially expect as most of them (Dr Romano included) assumed the probability would be different. Secondly, we attended a hands-on workshop where we dealt with a variety of different problems ranging from problem-based sudokus and also algebraic ones, around topics within the AS Level Maths course.
During another session, the students were given information about studying Mathematics at Oxford University by a key member of the admissions team. This was really useful for the girls, especially for those who are still unsure of what university or course they would like to apply for. It showed them how Maths at university follows on from the current A Level course, by giving them an opportunity to look at one section taken from each year of an Oxford Maths degree; the objective of this was to provide an insight into the variety of modules that they could study.
Later, the pupils had the opportunity to talk to an Oxford University student in his third year who is studying for a Maths degree. They gained an insight into student life and were given tips on applying to universities and what courses to take in relation to future careers. He told our pupils about the numerous job opportunities that would be available after completing a Maths degree, such as in Finance and IT.