Recently, four students in Upper IV had the amazing opportunity to attend five mathematics masterclasses run by the Royal Institution at Holyport College. These masterclasses hugely inspired the students, giving them insights into how maths is used in fields such as economics and computer science. Students also got to explore questions revolving around the theoretics of mathematics, especially on the subject of infinity, which greatened their appreciation for the beauty of the subject. The four students: Ellanya, Charlotte, Ivy and Christina have each written a short reflection on what they have gained from the masterclasses.

I feel very fortunate to have been chosen to attend these masterclasses; I have gained a lot of knowledge of how maths is so useful in every single aspect of life. I liked how the classes were engaging and relaxed, so I felt like I could ask many questions and get properly involved in the lessons. It was also really nice to be surrounded by many other students who also had a curiosity for maths. My favourite masterclass was related to the financial world, focusing specifically on stocks and trading. The lesson explained clearly the different factors which affect the value of a traded good and how economics works. I especially enjoyed playing a fun oil trading game, where we were in teams and had to sell and buy units of oil. The aim of the game was to end with a profit. The Abbey team ended up coming 6th place ! Overall, my experience was very fun and engaging.

Christina

Being a part of these Ri Masterclasses was such an amazing experience for me! They’ve made me think of mathematics in such simple, yet fascinating ways: I didn’t know so much maths was involved in whether an object would slide or topple! The environment of the classes was very welcoming and everyone who took part were so engaged, which made us enjoy these talks even more. We met so many professionals in mathematics and my favourite was a lady, who was a medical statistician, investigating the ideas of the Trolley Problem in a medical standpoint. I’ve truly been inspired to continue questioning mathematics and notice the small things in our everyday lives that can somehow be explained with maths!

Ellanya

I really enjoyed this opportunity to learn more about maths in our daily lives, having the chance to think about things I don’t normally consider. For example, whether an object would slide or topple! I found our first lesson about infinity quite interesting, as we learnt about irrational numbers and the difference between countably infinite and uncountably infinite, which I would have never thought about otherwise. My favourite lesson was about probability, because we learnt a story about this man who calculated the probability wrong when gambling and as it was actually below 50%, he lost a lot of money to his friends. This experience has been a great enrichment to my usual maths lessons at the Abbey, and has given me a wider perspective of the topics in maths.

Ivy

Attending the Ri Masterclass was such a fascinating experience — I was amazed by the variety of topics that connected to mathematics in unexpected ways. One of the most memorable sessions explored how computers think using nodes, demonstrating how they arrange and process information through specific mathematical calculations. It was amazing how they took really complex computational ideas and explained them in such a simple way. Another topic that stood out was Slide and Topple, which showed how physics is deeply connected to maths. They explained some really complex physics concepts using mathematics, making them so much easier to understand. Overall, the Ri Masterclasses were an incredible experience, and truly inspired me to continue exploring maths, as I now realise how it opens up incredible opportunities in fields like technology and engineering.

Charlotte