26 May 2022
Mrs Rita Farrell, Teacher of Mathematics
Earlier this month, Year 9 students Fleur, Katey (pictured left) and Megan (pictured right) took part in a series of Ri Mathematics Masterclasses organised by the Royal Institution. Led by experts from industry, academia and education, the masterclasses offer in-depth investigations of maths topics, combining theory with interactive exploration.
Hosted by Radnor House in Sevenoaks, students from six local schools were invited to attend. Together they explored fascinating concepts such as the age and size of the universe, famous mathematicians and the mathematics of games. Each week the students met new speakers who gave insights into potential careers for keen mathematicians.
Fleur, Katey and Megan were wonderful advocates for Woldingham, behaving with respect and intellectual curiosity throughout. We hope this is the first of many trips to Ri Maths Masterclasses for Woldingham students.
Megan, Year 9
I loved the Ri Masterclasses. They really stretched my thinking, especially the first talk about the universe. It was so interesting to understand the development of the universe and how it's been viewed over time. It intrigues me how the universe works, to learn more about the different planets and to see if there are more out there than we can see now using telescopes or satellites. This masterclass made me consider studying astrophysics. I also loved the history of maths, learning about theories and the oldest artefacts that exist. And it was fun to discover the different ways in which numbers have been written and how things were measured in the past. I would definitely recommend Ri Masterclasses to next year’s Year 9 students. They’re a great place to interact with other people who love maths.