Mathematical Discovery: A Journey into the World of Numbers
Recently, Dulwich International High School Suzhou held a maths lecture that stimulated students' interest and enthusiasm in mathematics. The lecture, entitled "Proving the impossible constructions” was organised and presented by Mr Martin Crozier, our Head of Maths. It was all about mathematical discovery for its own sake, a deep dive into how we can construct number and recover mathematical operations simply from ruler and compass- such an amazing thing to do from such basic postulates. In addition to our students, students and teachers from DCSZ, Perse, SIP Foreign Language School, SHSSIP also joined us on this wonderful 'maths journey'.
Mr Crozier's passion for maths was evident throughout the lecture, and his ability to engage and challenge the students was truly remarkable. He started by introducing the concept of constructing numbers using ruler and compass, which was a way of creating numbers based solely on geometric principles. He then went on to discuss how this method could be used to perform mathematical operations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The lecture then moved on to more advanced concepts, such as those studied in university-level maths. The students were introduced to the language, notation, and concepts used in advanced mathematical concepts, such as algebraic numbers, Galois Theory and field extensions raised by French mathematician Evariste Galois. The students were amazed by the complexity of these topics and were left feeling inspired and energized by the power and beauty of maths.
The highlight of the lecture came when the students were challenged to prove one of the great impossibilities in maths: squaring the circle. This problem has fascinated mathematicians for centuries and has been proven to be impossible using ruler and compass alone. However, Mr. Crozier encouraged the students to try and solve the problem themselves, which led to some amazing discussions and insights into the nature of maths. Mr Crozier told us that, “Extending the knowledge to university level maths, the language, notation and concepts was great fun and to see the students light up when proving the great impossibilities such as squaring the circle was a delight!”
Y13 student Henry Q from the audience commented, "I'll just say that Mr Crozier's lecture certainly provides an entirely new perspective of understanding how different numbers interact with each other. And how they're geometrically linked." This comment reflects the impact that the lecture had on the students, and how it provided a fresh perspective on the subject. Mr Adam Harrison, our Maths teacher also shared his feedback, "The lecture was a very fascinating journey answering very accessible questions from Euclidean geometry. Martin used high level mathematics to give the students a taste of what studying maths at university might be like and tailored back to some key stage 3 questions." This shows how Mr Crozier's lecture not only introduced advanced mathematical concepts but also made them accessible and engaging for students of all levels.
Mr Crozier is a passionate maths teacher who has inspired countless students with his love of math and dynamic teaching style. Beyond the classroom, he is also committed to organising various mathematics-based competitions, such as HSTM (Click to read more) and lectures in order to encourage more students to feel the magic of mathematics. Where and when did this passion come? He shared with us his own journey into the world of mathematics, "When I was at school I quite liked maths, but wasn’t passionate about it - I was going to be a professional musician; but I went on a trip to London to have a day of maths lectures when I was in year 12. I was blown away with discovering the depths of maths beyond what is learnt in school and how cool it was that these people were on stage communicating about mathematics with such passion. One such person is Colin Wright who I am now friends with and in fact came to Dulwich Suzhou in 2017 to share this passion. These lectures sparked two things, my desire to study and my desire to teach." For about the last 15 years, Mr Crozier has been giving talks to students in the UK and China about mathematics and its relationships to other aspects, such as music, natural history and economics.
This "Proving the impossible constructions” lecture was a great success, inspiring students from different schools and providing them with a fresh perspective on the subject. It was also a great reminder that maths is not just about solving problems but also about exploring the beauty and complexity of the world around us.
