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School of Mathematics, Statistics and Applied Mathematics
NUI Galway
Mathematics Enrichment Course 2016-17

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NEW ANNOUNCEMENT (LOCAL AND IRISH MATHS OLYMPIAD EXAMS)

Any Maths Enrichment student who wishes to write the local NUI Galway Mathematics Olympiad exam on Saturday 1 April 2017 is asked to send an email message to Jerome Sheahan. Jerome will email you the exam late Friday 31 March or early Saturday 1 April and you could allow yourself 2.5 hours to write it, preferably from 11am to 1:30pm on Saturday 1 April. If you have other commitments at that time (e.g. attending the NUI Galway Open Day), write the test at a time that suits you. Solutions will be emailed to participating students on the afternoon of April 1 and students will mark their own exam paper. A performance of at least 70% in the local Olympiad plus a lot of further self-study might indicate that it is worthwhile writing the Irish Olympiad exam on May 6 (see The Irish Mathematical Olympiad (IrMO) site ), but students are free to write the Irish Olympaid exam no matter what mark they attain on the local NUI Galway Olympiad exam on 1 April. Students who decide to write the Irish Olympiad exam should declare their intention by sending an email message to Jerome on or before Thursday 4th May.

All lecturers of the 2016-17 Enrichment training sessions found that the students were really bright and enthusiastic, and we hope you dear students found the sessions profitable and that you had as much fun as we had in sharing with you stimulating mathematical problems and techniques.

END OF NEW ANNOUNCEMENT

When and Where

The Mathematics Enrichment Course and related optional assessments will be held on the following Saturdays in 2017 from 11am to 2pm; see also note 1 below:

• January 21 (Table quiz fun!)
• January 28 (Enrichment class)
• February 4 (Enrichment class); also EGMO selection test -- see note 2 below
• February 11 (Enrichment class)
• February 18 (Enrichment class)
• March 4 (Enrichment class)
• March 11 (Olympiad exam training)
• March 25 (Olympiad exam training)
• April 1 (Local 2.5 hour Olympiad exam); see note 3 below
• May 6 (Irish Olympiad exam -- two 3-hour papers; see The Irish Mathematical Olympiad (IrMO) site )
• NOTE 1: The dates listed ensure that no classes/tests take place around mid-term break in secondary schools (February 20-24) nor during Easter break in schools (April 10-April 21)
• NOTE 2: February 4 is also the day of the selection test for the team to represent Ireland at the European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO); see EGMO 2017 page and IrMO page about EGMO. Ladies who plan to write this test should show up at 11am in the Enrichment training room (see next paragraph for location) and instead of attending the Enrichment class will be taken to a nearby room to write the three-hour EGMO exam.
• NOTE 3: Students who decide to write the local Olympiad exam (e.g. to help them decide if they wish to write the Irish Olympiad exam) will write the exam from their homes (exam paper will be emailed to interested participants just before 11am on April 1 and solutions will be emailed after 1:30pm)

The location of the sessions will be AC216. This room is located in the Geography area of the Arts/Science Concourse Building and is quite close to the Bank of Ireland on campus. Click on the following Interactive Campus Map.

No booking is required to attend any of the classes, and it is not even necessary to have attended the 30th IrMO--Round 1 exam that was held in schools during 14-18 Nov 2016. We do ask parents to ensure that students travel safely, especially those coming from afar.

The sessions are given by highly experienced lecturers from the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Applied Mathematics at NUI Galway. Since the classes are somewhat independent of each other in content, a student who misses any given session can still follow the ensuing classes. Note that the last two classes (March 11 and March 25) are specifically designed to train students who are interested in Olympiad examinations, and as such the material and delivery in these two classes will be far more advanced than in the earlier sessions!

The first session on 21st January 2017 will consist of problem solving in which participants will be divided into teams and encouraged to cooperate in thinking creatively to solve mathematical puzzles that generally require creativity. The problems are designed to stimulate student interest and logical thought processes for the sessions that then ensue. A local examination will take place on April 1 and this might help students decide if they feel they should attempt the 30^th Irish Mathematical Olympiad (IrMO) final round contest which will be held on May 6 (two 3-hour papers http://www.irmo.ie.) Students who have been invited to attend enrichment classes at NUI Galway should note that they can, if they prefer, attend at a centre geographically closer to them. Thus for example, students from North Donegal are welcome to Send an email message to Jerome Sheahan.attend at UCD (see http://www.ucd.ie/mathsciences/eventsoutreach/mathematicalolympiad for the schedule of UCD's enrichment classes).

What is it about?

The theme of the course is mathematical problem solving. This means creating original deductive arguments to establish mathematical facts. We will study problems whose solution requires inventive thinking rather than applying known techniques. While there will be some mathematical theory introduced, the emphasis will be on solving problems rather than accumulating theory. Problems from various areas of mathematics will be discussed, including geometry, combinatorics, number theory, graph theory and algebra. There is no particular connection to the second level curriculum.

Who is it for?

Students from the senior cycle of second level (transition year and above) are invited to attend the Enrichment Course. If you enjoy mathematics at school, if you enjoy mathematical or logical puzzles, if you like to find satisfying explanations of mathematical phenomena, this course might be for you. Highly mathematically interested students in their junior cycle could also be involved because most problems require a good understanding of basic mathematical facts and the ability to think logically, but no specialised knowledge is needed.

What can I do with it?

You can just enjoy the challenge of mathematical problem solving, if you like. You can use this course to explore your interest in studying mathematics at third level at NUI Galway or elsewhere, or you can take part in mathematical problem solving contests.

For Further Information

Send an email message to Jerome Sheahan.

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