Maths Inspiration

Last Wednesday, 6.1 mathematicians who have opted for further mathematics course were shuffled into the coach for a mathematics talk called ‘Maths Inspiration’ after the seemingly somewhat too short first lesson.  It was truly fortunate that most mathematicians were fit enough to attend the lecture, with less than a handful that were deemed as unfit.

A small commotion was stirred up before we were packed into the cozy little coach, after some of our favourite sandwiches (Tuna mayonnaise) were cleared. It was not long before another turmoil occurred in the coach that resembled a sardine can, just before the engine was turned on. This time, it was for elbow space. All too soon they were set and we started to whizz to the venue. Otherwise, the rest of the journey was uneventful.  Time passed. After slouching back in the cozy and intimate slumberettes for two hours, it was the grumbling stomach that has been our alarm. With no exception, all students devoured their sandwiches and chocolate bar.

All too soon, the coach arrived at the venue for the Maths Inspiration talk. We sat for another 20 minutes before the talk started. Other students from local schools started to come. As it was a rare opportunity for us to really interact with students from a British local school, we are all curious how their school lives are different from ours, so quite a few of us turned our heads around and started a chat. The Maths Inspiration talk finally started, I must admit that it was lucidly engaging and interactive from the very first moment.

Here is a list of who the speakers were: Rob Eastaway the Director, Hannah Fry and Ben Sparks. Their jokes were absolutely humorous and most of all, the content was indeed inspiring. I mean – Who would have believed the UK map can form a gapless pattern(although a slightly altered one); or who would have thought maths could be used crack down  on crime? Or that maths is related to philosophy? Or even can break down the cause of traffic jam? I guess I must really refrain myself from ruining the fun. I would really recommend to attend to the talk yourself. Spoilers aside, it had also occurred to me that all the speakers possessed good time management.

It was soon time to bid farewell. In a bid to make as we to attend both prep sessions, we were ushered to the coach straight after the talk. The return trip was longer than we expected due to unforeseeable amount of traffic flow in the peak hours.  Our teachers seemed to be more inspired than we were, and were most enthusiastic on the coach, chatting until they say goodbye to each other; leaving the rest of us to fall into deep sleeps. By the time we arrived at school, we were drained and our buttocks were aching after sitting all day. We were sent to the dining room and had a quick dinner and attend the prep straight afterwards.

The moment before I went to bed, my buttocks still hurt.

Yanshing Cheung 6.1