With APOGEE ‘25 just around the corner, the APOGEE English Press (AEP) sat down with Ujjawal Manocha, the coordinator of the Mathematics Association, to gain insight into their work for the upcoming fest. For APOGEE ‘25, the Mathematics Association has planned to host three events — Proving the Obvious, Probability Labyrinth, both making their debut this year and their flagship event, Gambling Mathematics.

Ujjawal elaborated that Gambling Mathematics would be a three-round event. In the first round, participants would have to solve various maths problems, while betting on their difficulty level. The second round would feature mathematics-centered mini-games leading up to the third round, which would be a poker showdown. Proving the Obvious, as the name suggests, would involve participants proving seemingly obvious real-world premises, such as determining the optimal water temperature for a winter bath in Pilani, using mathematics and coding. He remarked that the event was not meant to be very serious, so the premise had to be humorous in some way. The event would require participants to defend their assumptions to a panel of judges, comprising professors from the Department of Mathematics. Probability Labyrinth would consist of a series of mathematical mini-games, much like the second round of Gambling Mathematics. Additionally, he mentioned that the winning submissions for Proving the Obvious would be featured on their blog, Infinity Insights.

When asked about the pre-fest workload, Ujjawal shared that the association had begun preparations well in advance. Work for Gambling Mathematics started mid-February and for Proving the Obvious, it commenced by late January. This was partly due to the former requiring questions which could not be googled or solved easily using ChatGPT, and partly due to the added pressure of securing a sponsor—Wolfram—for the first time. He added that despite the early start, the pace of work had initially been slow but had picked up momentum in the weeks leading up to the fest.

Ujjawal noted that the major obstacle was the lack of coordination between the club and the CoStAA. However, he acknowledged that it was not their fault, as the uncertainty surrounding whether APOGEE would happen at all had made planning difficult. Consequently, finalizing prize money had been a major hurdle. Furthermore, the timeline was less than ideal due to midsems and Holi, leaving them with only two weeks for preparations, with the budgeting meeting still pending. 

Ujjawal shared that the work for Proving the Obvious was mostly done, with the association waiting for submissions.  The remaining two events, however, required a final push in the coming week.
Reflecting on his experience as the coordinator, Ujjawal described it as challenging, yet rewarding. He said that the workload had proven to be far greater than expected, but he found the experience fulfilling nonetheless. On a parting note, Ujjawal urged the public to participate in their events, guaranteeing an exciting and engaging experience. He also extended his best wishes to the chess team, specifically stating,  ‘They might be able to win Gambling Mathematics since we can’t participate in our event’.