Webinars SET A - Grade 9-10 - Sunday@6-7pm EST-Recording Webinar 1

Video Transcription

Video Summary

This webinar is the first in a series designed to prepare students in levels nine and ten for the Maths Kangaroo competition, focusing on enhancing problem-solving skills and mathematical interest. Instructor Van Kuroleva and TA Bella introduce strategies rather than basic concepts, aiming to help students tackle challenging competition problems efficiently.<br /><br />The session covers standard high school topics including algebra, number theory, combinatorics, sequences, and patterns, emphasizing deep conceptual understanding beyond curriculum knowledge. Key problem-solving strategies introduced include drawing diagrams to visualize problems (e.g., comparing brothers' heights), trial and error for testing possibilities (e.g., finding largest remainder in division), parity considerations (odd/even properties in movement problems), identifying patterns through smaller cases (e.g., summing consecutive odd numbers), solving smaller versions of large problems (e.g., kangaroo color fractions), organizing lists systematically (handling permutations), and eliminating incorrect answer choices in multiple choice settings.<br /><br />Selected problems illustrate these methods: visual diagrams simplify algebraic comparisons; parity reveals that a kangaroo can’t reach certain board positions in an odd number of moves; finding patterns confirms formulas for sequences generated through iterative procedures; breaking large parameter problems into smaller cases clarifies their nature; and subtracting the mean from sequences aids managing large sums with constraints.<br /><br />The webinar encourages interactive participation with polls and chat questions, urging students to experiment with different strategies and combine them as needed. The overall aim is to build a versatile toolbox for successful, time-conscious problem-solving in contests.

Keywords

Maths Kangaroo

problem-solving strategies

algebra

number theory

combinatorics

sequences and patterns

visual diagrams

trial and error

parity considerations

competition preparation

interactive learning