July 2010 - Wacky Maths
Maths and fun were combined when ‘Murderous Mathematician’ Kjartan Poskitt visited the Royal Alexandra and Albert School on the 1st and 2nd of July. Pupils aged 9 to 13 took a break from lessons so see how maths could be viewed in a totally different, and very entertaining, way.Over 370 Royal Alexandra and Albert School students attended the event which was held in the School’s chapel. Pupils from other local schools (Warwick, Reigate, and Oakwood) were also invited to the event, and around 100 attended.
Kjartan entertained his audience by using a number of maths tricks and activities, some of them were, ‘How to get rich using a chess board’, ‘making a ball from two hexagons’, ‘the mystery of the number 1089’ and ‘how the number 3 was invented’. The talk lasted an hour but his young audience were completely captivated by his numerical dexterity and lively presenting style. Kjartan Poskitt mixed maths and fun and he really did make it work.
After attending the performance, one 10 year old pupil commented “It was the funniest show I have ever seen, it was amazing”
Emma Moran (Head of Maths) comments “Kjartan is so enthusiastic, you can’t help but be amazed by the maths tricks he performs! It was great to see the students enjoying themselves and I hope that we can repeat the experience next year with even more students from our area being able to participate. Kjartan’s presentation was a big success as it educated pupils and they had fun at the same time.”
Headmaster Paul D Spencer Ellis commented “As the Lead School for Gifted and Talented in the area, we are always seeking innovative ways to encourage learning. Kjartan’s visit has inspired pupils, and his enthusiasm and energy are infectious. I am pleased that so many children from local schools were able to join us to benefit from his unusual approach to delivering mathematics.”
