Members of Herricks Middle School’s Math Research program demonstrated their expertise on May 25, when they presented their projects in a schoolwide Math Fair. The group of seventh- and eighth-graders featured various mathematics topics that interest them and shared their findings with students and faculty members who toured the exhibit.
The school’s cafeteria was filled with a variety of display boards and digital presentations. Under the guidance of Math Fair organizers Stacy Hart and Alyssa Khan, the students have been preparing for this event, as well as the recent Long Island Math Fair held at Hofstra University, since September. The Math Research program at the middle school meets weekly and provides an opportunity for students to explore aspects of math beyond what the classroom curriculum covers.
Among the subjects that projects concentrated on were Parabolas, the Sierpinski Triangle, the Golden Rectangle, Matrices and Determinants and Arithmetic Sequences. Some students conducted research that applied math to other parts of life, such as Mathematics in Music and Cell Phone Usage. They supported their work through graphs, models, formulas and important facts.
The experience equipped students with skills in presenting/public speaking, research and organization in addition to an exceptional understanding of advanced mathematics concepts.
