The APOGEE English Press sat down with Aryan Sonwatikar, the coordinator of the Maths Association. He spoke about the various events they will be organizing, their way of incorporating the fest’s theme, and the challenges they faced during the preparation process.
‘The goal of the Mathematics Association is to promote the spirit of mathematical and theoretical thinking,’ said Aryan.They showcase this by conducting many quizzes, competitions, and games for both, BITSians and non-BITSians throughout the year. He explained that the association will be holding two events this year—‘Gambling Maths’ and a pre-fest event, ‘Integration Bee.’
‘Gambling Maths’ is their legacy event and is held every year. The event consists of two rounds. The first round involves the participants going through multiple rounds of questions while betting on their ability to get through that specific level. Only a selected number of teams will qualify for the second round which would demand them to play round-table ‘Mathematical Poker’ to decide the winning team.
The second event, ‘Integration Bee,’ which will be held on March 31, 2024, is a rendition of the famous MIT Integration Bee with a few changes.To add flair to the competition, the event has been modified to be a two-player relay race. Teams of two would have to solve questions together in the shortest amount of time to win.
Aryan mentioned that preparations for the fest started in February, while the ideation process had been completed by the end of December. He also explained that the biggest problem faced during the preparation process was time management, further heightened due to the mid-semester exams, and the Holi, and Good-Friday holiday weekends during which not much work could be done. Despite the challenges, he thinks that preparations are going as planned, and that there are no last-minute hiccups.
Aryan stated that his experience as Coordinator had been amazing. He commended his juniors for their creativity, passion, and enthusiasm. He concluded by saying, `looking forward to APOGEE 2023.´