18 photos as finest young minds tested in Fife schools maths challenge sponsored by The Courier

And you can try your mental agility in our quiz based on questions posed to S3 and S4 pupils.

By Cheryl Peebles

October 6 2023, 6:00am

CR0044802, Cheryl Peebles, Cupar. Fife Schools Enterprising Maths Challenge 2023. Picture Shows: Pupils competing in the relay at the Fife Schools Enterprising Maths Challenge, this year held at Bell Baxter High School in Cupar. Wednesday 4th October 2023. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson

Some of Fife’s best young mathematicians flexed their mental agility in an inter-schools maths challenge sponsored by The Courier.

Teams from 13 of the region’s secondary schools competed in the annual Enterprising Maths competition hosted by Bell Baxter High School.

And it was a home win for one of the two teams put forward by the Cupar school where the day of mathematical action took place.

Anabel Soltesz, Euan McFarlane, Charlie Jung and Megan Fraser beat the 19 other teams in four rounds.

Winners Bell Baxter A team, (from left) Anabel Soltesz, Euan McFarlane, Charlie Jung and Megan Fraser, were presented with the Enterprising Maths Fife shield, sponsored by The Courier, by maths teacher Catherine Blundell. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson.

These included a speed challenge, head-to-head and a rally finale where the S3 and S4 competitors had run to adjudicators to confirm their answers were correct before passing the baton to a teammate.

Think you could do better? Try our S3-S4 level maths quiz

They and the two runners-up, teams from St Andrew’s RC High School, Kirkcaldy, and Madras College, St Andrews, will compete in the national final run by the Scottish Mathematical Council next month.

Bell Baxter High School maths teacher Catherine Blundell said the contest allows those who enjoy maths to do so with likeminded peers and in a fun rather than academic way.

She said: “Most kids who love maths don’t tend to say they love maths, it’s not something that is going to win friends or make you popular.

“For a lot of them they are used to being the best at maths and it’s good for them to be challenged to and to see there are other people who are strong at maths and think differently.”

Participating schools were: Bell Baxter High, St Andrew’s RC High, Madras College, St Columba’s RC High, Lochgelly High, Glenrothes High, Dunfermline High, St Leonards School, Viewforth High, Balwearie High, Auchmuty High, Glenwood High and Beath High.