School of Mathematics, Statistics and Applied Mathematics
NUI Galway
Mathematics Enrichment Course 2010
When and Where
The Mathematics Enrichment Course will run on Saturday mornings from
January 16 until March 27. Sessions will commence at 10.00 and
conclude by 1.00, with a break of about 30 minutes from 11.15.
Except for the session on Saturday February 6th,
all sessions will be held in Room AC216 on the NUI Galway campus,
which can be found by walking
along the main concourse to the Bank of Ireland at the north end,
turning right at the bank, then walking through the yellow doors and
turning left at the end of the corridor.
The session on February 6th will be held in the McMunn lecture theatre
which is at the south end of the concourse, past Smokey Joe's cafeteria.
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.
Sessions are run by academic mathematicians from the School of
Mathematics, Statistics and Applied Mathematics at NUI Galway.
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.
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. The Irish Mathematical Olympiad (IrMO) will take place on
Saturday May 8th, at NUI Galway and other venues in Ireland. This is
the selection contest for the Irish team for the
International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). The IMO is the annual
World Championship Mathematics Competition for second level
students. In
2010 it will be held
in Kazakhstan.
The Schedule
This schedule is subject to change.
-
Jan 16 AC216 Table Quiz,
Dr
Jerome Sheahan and
Dr Edwin O'Shea.
-
Jan 23 AC216 Combinatorics - the pigeonhole principle,
Dr Rachel Quinlan.
-
Jan 30 AC216 Number Theory, Dr Edwin O'Shea.
-
Feb 6 McMunn Theatre Counting Problems, Dr Jerome Sheahan.
-
Feb 13 AC216 Geometry I,
Dr Javier Aramayona.
-
Feb 20 AC216 Geometry II,
Dr Graham Ellis.
-
Feb 27 AC216 Problems about Polynomials,
Dr Niall Madden.
-
March 6 AC216 More Number Theory, Dr Rachel Quinlan.
-
March 13 AC216 Inequalities,
Dr Ray
Ryan.
-
March 20 AC216 Practice Problems
-
March 27 AC216 Galway Mathematical Olympiad (contest).
For Further Information
Send an email message
to Rachel Quinlan.