Week √4 of MathPath √4084441

 After a fun-filled weekend featuring a camp-wide Alien Puzzle Hunt and a variety of optional activities on Sunday, students were ready to kick off their second week of MathPath. The president of the Mathematical Association of America, Dr. Jennifer Quinn, gave Saturday's guest plenary, where students voted in an epic math battle to determine whether Sir Match-A-Lot or the Countess produced the more beautiful mathematical statement. Our next guest speaker on Wednesday was Dr. Michael Dorff of Brigham Young University, who amazed us with his presentation on the mathematics utilized for animation and special effects in Hollywood films!

Students use their problem-solving skills in the puzzle hunt, facilitated by two alien counselors, Eloek and Space Pirate.

MathPath offered a riveting selection of breakouts this week. Director of Programs April Verser shared her strategies and knowledge as faculty for the Intermediate Contest Problem-Solving breakout. Dr. Asia returned to MathPath, teaching Number Theory II and Complex Numbers. Dr. Clark also arrived back to teach MathPath favorites, Error-Correcting Codes and Guessing Games. In the morning, Prof K taught Compositions, Partitions, and Fibonacci Numbers while Prof Cahn was tied up in Knot Theory.

Students solve AMC and AIME contest problems in Intermediate Contest Problem-Solving.

During Sunday's optional activities, MathPathers got the chance to indulge in Dungeons & Dragons, arts & crafts, and solving a virtual escape room, among other offerings. Gartic Phone, a wacky combination of Pictionary and telephone, has become the newest hit among our daily activities. Some campers have been working together to fill the New York Times crossword puzzle to completion nearly every day! One Night Ultimate Werewolf remains a favorite game of intrigue and deception.

Counselor Ella hosts a fast-paced game of One Night Ultimate Werewolf!

The first half of MathPath has been a blast, and we can't believe how fast it's gone by! Glen Van Brummelen gave his final history plenary, and though we're sorry to see him go for now, we will be welcoming Dr. Deborah Kent to present mathematical history for the remainder of MathPath. We're looking forward to the next 2 weeks as students continue to make friends and learn about all sorts of mathematics!



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