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SFU Team Ties For 1st Place at the Clash of Equations: Undergraduate Mathematics Competition

August 31, 2023
The members of Team The Galois Group. From left to right: Hailey Ahn, Peter Poelstra, and Steven Xia. Photo courtesy of the UBC Mathematics Society, SFU Mathematics Student Union, and Thompson Rivers University Students' Union Math Club.
The plaques for the winning teams, which were made by Eclipse Awards. Photo courtesy of the UBC Mathematics Society, SFU Mathematics Student Union, and Thompson Rivers University Students' Union Math Club.

Earlier this month, teams from Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia, and Thompson River University participated in the Clash of Equations: Undergraduate Mathematics Competition.

With a perfect score, Team The Galois Group from SFU tied for 1st place in competition. The team consisted of Hailey Ahn, Peter Poelstra, and Steven Xia, who met in their MATH 480W class last year (aptly titled “The Art and Craft of Problem Solving”).

"It was a real team effort,” says Peter of Team The Galois Group. “We played to each others' strengths and supported each other."

During the competition, the teams had three hours to solve rigorous problems in the areas of discrete math, calculus, and linear algebra. Team The Galois Group found the competition to be an intense and enjoyable experience.

“It was fun! The problems were quite challenging to solve within a limited time,” says team member Hailey. “One of the problems we solved ended up with a 3-page proof."

Clash of Equations was organized by the UBC Mathematics Society, SFU Mathematics Student Union, and Thompson Rivers University Students' Union Math Club. The plaques for the winners were made by Eclipse Awards.

Learn more about Clash of Equations and the winning teams here

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