Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi Students Top UKMT Maths Challenge

On Tuesday, 2 February, our Year 11 students and some enthusiastic problem solvers from Years 9 and 10 took part in the UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge. Due to school closures in the UK, this was an online event with students from all over the world participating. The challenge itself is a 60-minute, multiple-choice competition that encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems.

The problems on the Intermediate Mathematical Challenge are designed to make students think. Most are accessible, yet still challenge those with more experience. It is the perfect way for students to see how some abstract topics in algebra and geometry can be applied to larger problems.

Mathematics at Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi is all about challenge, reasoning, and depth of understanding, which is why the UKMT Maths Challenges are such an important part of the School Calendar. Applying mathematical understanding to new situations develops the transferrable skills that are so important for deeper learning and opens up enquiry into a huge array of new questions that can be explored across many other subjects. These skills will also be crucial for students as they prepare for the IB Diploma Programme.

Every year certificates are awarded to the top 40% of students. Bronze, Silver and Gold certificates are then given to the top 40% in the ratio 3:2:1, meaning that a score in the top 6.7% is required to achieve a Gold certificate. Out of those who achieve a Gold certificate, around 600 students worldwide are invited to take part in the Maclaurin Olympiad, a two-hour paper that challenges reasoning skills and requires full written responses to prove their answers to six tough questions.

Aidan, Year 11, achieved full marks in the Maths Challenge, and so will take part in this event on Thursday, 18 March. We extend a huge congratulations to him for this incredible achievement!

Further certificates are also given to the highest performing student in each year group, and in the whole school. Our students were able to obtain the following certificates:

Aidan
Gold, Best In School, Maclaurin Olympiad Qualifier

Yap
Gold

Janey
Silver

Isabel
Silver

Jay
Bronze

Anke
Bronze

Zoe
Bronze

Rachel
Bronze

Justin
Best-in-Year

Daniel
Bronze, Best-in-Year

Ethan
Bronze

Congratulations to everyone who took part, and especially to those who obtained a medal certificate. We eagerly await the Junior Maths Challenge in the final week of April to challenge our Year 7 and 8 students!

To see what sort of problems students face, why not challenge yourself to a question taken from the middle of the 2018 Challenge? Answer at the end of this article.

17. How many three-digit numbers are increased by 99 when their digits are reversed?
A 4    B 8    C 10    D 80    E 90

Answer: D The value of ‘abc’ equals 100a + 10b + c. We need to find integers of the form ‘abc’ such that ‘cba’ = ‘abc’ + 99.

So 100c + 10b + a = 100a + 10b + c + 99, that is 99c = 99a + 99. This condition simplifies to c = a + 1. So there are 10 such integers of the form ‘1b2’, 10 of the form ‘2b3’, 10 of the form ‘3b4’, …, and 10 of the form ‘8b9’. Therefore the required number is 8 x 10 = 80.