Wentworth Institute of Technology professors Dr. Amanda Hattaway and Dr. Qaranfal Yousef visited Medford High School on October 17 during 1st period. The visit was a collaborative effort by MHS Headmaster Dr. John Perella and the Department Head of Mathematics and Integrated Science Department, Ms. Carolyn Joy.
The session, which was facilitated by MHS teacher Faiza Khan, was held in Science Lecture Hall and the professors introduced the subject of Applied Math and its function in deriving various information, such as strength of materials, behavior of fluid, spread of disease, and the rate of inflation. The two professors also used the game Monty Hall to illustrate how Applied Mathematics can be used in various situations and settings. The game displayed the 1/3 probability of picking the chocolate instead of the cough drops and how the probability would increase as the one cough drop was revealed, thus changing the chances to 2/3.
The AP Computer Science class and AP Statistics class seemed to enjoy the activity due to the fact that it was hands on and it allowed the student to become more engaged. More than half of the students were chosen to play the game, which allowed the students to better understand the role of Applied Mathematics in the game. The activity was very successful and was a good introduction for students to understand Applied Mathematics.
The two professors concluded by explaining the importance of Applied Mathematics and how it’s related to various fields. The student responses were positive and the experience was beneficial towards the understanding of Applied Mathematics.
