Even the ancient Greeks used rulers and compasses to construct geometric figures with three, four or five corners. But is this also possible with regular polygons with seven, nine or even seventeen corners? And how can mathematics be used to solve planning problems such as creating timetables or train schedules? These and other exciting questions from classical geometry and optimization were tackled in a fun way by 25 mathematics specialists from various grades at Thuringian schools during a five-day math camp at TU Ilmenau.
Only 2,000 years after Euclid Carl Friedrich Gauss discovered how to construct a regular 17-gon and thus divide a cake fairly into 17 pieces using only a compass and ruler. While Gauss was only an 18 year old student at the time, the young people who studied this mathematical phenomenon at TU Ilmenau at the end of September 2024 were even younger than Gauss, but already particularly interested and talented in their field. At the university, they learned, among other things, how to prove why, as opposed to the regular 17-sided one, a regular polygon with seven or nine corners cannot be constructed in this way.
The students from Greiz and Hildburghausen spent five days preparing for the second round of the Mathematical Olympiad at the "Math Specialist Camp" with their teachers. The camp included a mental arithmetic competition, puzzle corners and a camp Olympiad. In addition, professors from TU Ilmenau also "fed" them with a mathematical and scientific supporting program. In the "Hands-on combinatorial optimization" workshop with Professor Gabriele Eichfelder, the youngsters had to place different zoo animals together in enclosures as an example of a particularly tricky planning problem: Which animals have similar needs? And which ones don't get along at all? "It was exciting to see how engaged and interested the students were," says Prof. Thomas Hotz from the Institute of Mathematics:
One could sense how much they enjoy math and science.
During an experimental lecture on "Lasers - the other light" with Dr. Dirk Schulze and a visit to the high-energy physics laboratory, the young researchers also gained insights into physics and electrical engineering. The young people were accompanied and supervised by Olaf Schimmel. The dedicated math and physics teacher has been successfully encouraging and inspiring mathematically gifted and interested pupils at the East Thuringia Regional Center for many years via correspondence circles or offers such as the math specialist camp. This year, it took place again at the TU Ilmenau, supported by the university's study orientation program. According to him, the camp was once again very fruitful:
The workshops, lectures and tours offered by TU Ilmenau were a wonderful addition to the specialist camp and not only inspired the students. They also broadened many a horizon and awakened new interests here and there.
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Prof. Dr. Thomas Hotz
Head of the Group for Probability Theory and Mathematical Statistics