Writes Shay N. (L6th) and Simon Coles, Teacher of Mathematics
The British Mathematical Olympiad is an extremely taxing paper consisting of just 6 questions over three and a half hours. This paper is not for the faint-hearted, but those who enter it do so because of the satisfaction of answering even just one question correctly. Only a handful of boys enter each year, and this year we are very proud to have four boys achieve a merit. Thomas E. (U6th) followed up last year’s outstanding achievement of a distinction with another one this year, demonstrating he is elite at problem solving. Very well done to him. It is very pleasing to see these boys attempt this difficult challenge, and do so with such curiosity and joy. Here is what Shay N. (L6th) had to say about the challenge.
At the end of last year, a handful of Taylors’ mathematicians were preparing to sit the British Mathematical Olympiad. The Olympiad is not only a test of ability, but also of endurance – the paper is three and a half hours long! Moreover, the questions are far from conventional. As opposed to testing your ability to apply routine techniques, as in GCSE or A-level maths, they require lateral thinking. You must apply knowledge in new, unfamiliar contexts, finding the solution in a way you are unlikely to have encountered before. It is not a case of simply providing an answer – you must also write out a full mathematical proof explaining your thinking. Each question becomes a journey of discovery – in which you try different lines of reasoning, many of which lead to dead ends, looking for the moment when the fog clears and the problem finally opens up… usually after several sheets of illegible scribbles.
