Math team derives success from competition
Math Madness season ended with Diamond Bar High School’s team placing 17th in the nation and 5th when scores are averaged among the top 20 team members.
The team moved from 20th to 17th place in the nation after their last Math Madness round on Nov. 13. The Brahmas lost 38-36 to the Harker School, a private school in San Jose, due to one trick question, which ended the team’s run.
Despite the team’s loss, there were many achievements that came with the match. Junior Tony Wan was the only student on the team who had a perfect score and is ranked 49th in the nation. Freshman Jason Kim, sophomore Aaron Sun, junior Warrick He, junior Nathan Song and senior Math Team president Keshav Sriram all earned a score of 7 out of 8.
“I felt relieved because I did my part for the team. However, I was still a little nervous concerning about our team’s total score.” Wan said. “I was the first one to get a perfect score at the time, and normally we need at least 3 perfect scores to survive through the elimination round.”
Previously, the Brahmas emerged with a 34-29 victory against Farragut High School from Knoxville, with Sriram receiving a perfect score.
“This year’s Math Madness was absolutely a successful event and inspired lots of Brahmas and ignited their interest in mathematics, which were way more important than just a score,” Wan said.
To prepare for the competitions, the officers held practice rounds and review sessions every week. They also held math workshops, going over various topics ranging from algebra to trigonometry to help students on the American Mathematics Competition grades 10 through 12 test. Most members also self-studied by using resources located on the team’s website or the Art of Problem Solving textbook.
“The workshops definitely helped me because teaching the material helped me learn it at the same time,” Sriram said. “I can’t speak on behalf of the members, but my impression is that they benefit from it.”
Although the team didn’t go far in Math Madness, the team’s future looks bright, with many of their underclassmen learning to take charge.
The math team, along with students from Algebra 1 to Math HL, also competed in the Rocket City Math League competition on Nov. 21 and is currently waiting for the results.
Although the team finished two competitions, they are far from ending their season as competitions such as the AMC 10/12 for high school students, Log 1 and Continental Mathematics League are still to come.
Your donation will support the student journalists of Diamond Bar High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.
