Hereford Cathedral School’s Maths Department staff may soon be rethinking their lesson plans after a Year 10 pupil devised an alternative method for solving quadratic equations.
Top-set Maths student, Danylo P, recently came up with his innovative ‘hack’, which Head of Maths, Mr Near, has never seen the like of in his 30 years of teaching. What is so impressive about Danylo’s method is that it simplifies the factorisation process, which traditionally, many pupils find tricky. Click below to see how Danylo’s story unfolded…
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Mr Near commented: “I was sceptical at first, but once I realised Danylo’s method worked and why it worked, I was amazed.”
Danylo, a Ukrainian refugee, joined HCS this academic year. His first connection with the School was at last year’s HCS Ukrainian Hub – a series of Saturday sessions offering support to refugees newly arrived in Hereford.
The 15 year old has been showing real promise in Maths in his new school setting, and Mr Near is certainly impressed with Danylo’s enthusiasm and ability for the subject.
Mr Near believes that Danylo’s method could change how quadratic equations are taught in schools, as they are so much easier to factorise when the coefficient of the x2 term is 1.
Danylo commented: “I would be very happy if other people find this method useful. I want to make an impact for future generations and be useful for society.”
Daniel Darg (OH 1997-2021), Principle Faculty Specialist (astrophysics) at the University of Maryland, commented: “It is clever, and Danylo has exhibited ingenuity to figure this out on his own.”
HCS English Teacher, Mrs Vines, who ran the Ukrainian Hub, commented: “When Danylo first came to one of my English lessons at the Hub last summer and requested to do some harder English grammar, I knew he was the kind of person who would thrive at HCS: he’s a really motivated student. It’s so exciting to see how Danylo is excelling in maths and taking advantage of many opportunities on offer at school.”
Perhaps in years to come, pupils across the UK will be using Danylo’s Method to solve quadratic equations in their GCSE Maths exams?
Well done, Danylo!
Click below to see Mr Near prove Danylo’s method works every time.
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