Maths whizkids figure out what it takes to be winners

IT ADDS UP: Jo Redpath, Connor Cresswell and Alan Wong are the top regional team.

The key number for three Wanganui High School maths whizkids is ONE - as they took away the first place in the regional Massey Manawatu Maths and Stats (M3S) competition last week.

Jo Redpath, Connor Cresswell and Alan Wong beat 20 other teams from the region by correctly answering 23 out of 35 increasingly difficult questions.

The competition was organised by the mathematics and statistics group in the Institute of Fundamental Sciences, as a way to engage students with mathematics and statistics through fun and challenging problems.

Winning team member Connor Cresswell said the hardest part of the competition was timing.

"Knowing when to pass was really important because we only had an hour, so we had to time it right."

Tutor in statistics Anne Lawrence says she is delighted to see the event grow from 16 schools last year to 21 this year.

"Last year the students and their teachers clearly enjoyed the challenge of solving our problems.

"There is quite a bit for them to get their heads around in terms of working as a team, deciding how long to struggle with a particular question and, of course, applying their mathematical and statistical thinking to tackle the problems."

Director of the mathematics in industry group at Massey University, Professor Emeritus Graeme Wake, said mathematical skills are applicable now, more than ever.

"Many industry and community problems can benefit from a mathematical or statistical approach.

"Worldwide, countries have discovered that mathematics is a high-tech thing that can add value to their enterprise. Mathematics is everywhere and can underpin everything - this is something not everyone appreciates."