Exploring Maths at UKMT Summer School

Clara (above centre) was selected to attend the UKMT Maths Summer School – a prestigious programme that invites students from the top 1.5% of Intermediate Mathematical Challenge results, with only one student chosen per school. She writes a reflection on her experience below.

This summer, I was lucky enough to attend the UKMT Maths Summer School. Although sceptical at first, my doubts quickly turned to excitement the moment I arrived. Not only were the staff and volunteers incredibly welcoming, but I also made many friends from across the country (although mainly from England).

Over the course of five days, we learnt new mathematical concepts and built on those we already knew. Each morning began with a session on combinatorics, followed by number theory. These were challenging, but I gradually came to understand and enjoy what was being taught. Other highlights included an introduction to graph theory, learning about modular arithmetic, writing mathematical poems, and a fun session on logic puzzles.

We also had plenty of free time, mostly spent playing Uno, but also filled with bowling, a quiz, and a talent show. It was an incredible experience – I learnt so much, and my eyes were opened to many fascinating aspects of maths that I hadn’t encountered before.

I leave you with this question, as a taster of what we got up to:

There is an island where people are either knights (who always tell the truth) or knaves (who always lie). You come across three inhabitants – A, B and C – who make the following statements:
A: Only one of us is a knight.
B: No, only one of us is a knave.
C: We are all knaves.
What are A, B, and C?

Written by Clara (L6)