On Wednesday, November, 22, the cafeteria was packed with approximately ninety students who were eagerly waiting for the Canadian Intermediate and Seniors math competition to start. The competition happened for 2 whole hours and has an exciting moment. The contest was exactly 9 difficult questions of mathematics, encompassing algebra, geometry, slope, and patterns. This contest was hosted by CEMC and such was an exhilarating moment.
The Centre of Education in Mathematics and Computing is Canada’s largest, as well as the most recognized outreach organization for promoting and creating materials in math and computer science. They have hosted many contests in previous years. For example, during the annual St. Augustine awards night, they always announce the Pascal, Cayley, and Fermat competitions. CEMC also hosts workshops and conferences to help students excel in mathematics. CEMC also has courseware to aid students by linking mathematics and computer Science to the news.
Back to the Canadian Intermediate and Seniors mathematics competition. Calculators are allowed in Waterloo Math Contests, so you don’t have to strain your brain thinking about mathematics. While writing, a representative from CEMC came in to watch the students write and answer questions. The math contest consists of 2 parts, A and B. Part A has 6 questions, each worth 5 marks, and Part B has 3 questions, each worth 10 marks. Part B was significantly harder than part A, and my brain was struggling to come up with a few answers. A fellow Grade 9 student thinks they knew all the questions in the Math Contest and said it wasn’t as hard as they thought it would be. My opinion is that this year’s contest was easier than the previous contests posted on the CEMC, but the senior students got a harder version. The contest is divided into two distinct subdivisions, the Senior Competition and the Intermediate Competition. The Senior competition is for grades 11 and 12, and the Intermediate Competition is for grades 9 and 10. Of course, the seniors got a harder contest, and the Juniors got the easier contest.
In all, this math contest was a very exciting experience for me. Results are expected to be released a month from now! Stay Tuned!
By: Aaron Chung
Titan Times 