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Dr Jonathan Hare with young mathematician Megan Clark, who won a book prize for the best project on 'curves'. |
Celebrity scientist Dr Jonathan Hare joined 60 young mathematicians on campus this month for a ceremony to mark the completion of eight testing weeks of masterclasses.
Drawn from more than 40 local schools, the talented 13- and 14-year-olds had spent their Saturday mornings throughout the autumn term grappling with tricky but enjoyable tasks. Each session featured a different visiting speaker and a fresh range of mathematically based activities. The aim was to have fun, be challenged and learn something new every week.
Jonathan, from the BBC's 'Rough Science' programme, demonstrated how maths and science interact, with a clip from the series about measuring the size of a lunar crater using a home-made telescope. He stressed that this was one piece of practical physics where maths was essential, in order to do the calculation.
"As a scientist I see maths, along with graphs and diagrams, as one of the languages of science," enthused Jonathan, who gained his DPhil from Sussex and is a Visiting Research Fellow in the Physics and Astronomy department. "It helps us determine how reliable things like information, machines, puzzles and money are. It's the bedrock on which clear thinking is built."
Sussex maths masterclasses are supported by the Royal Institution of Great Britain and organised by the local branch of the Mathematical Association including Charles Goldie, Professor of Statistics at Sussex. "This group is exceptionally sharp and responsive," he commented, "and receiving their completion certificates from a famous young scientist made the day more memorable for them."