Someone could see the Math-Factor context, as a simple competition, if they approach it in a simplistic manner.
But the opportunity given to us by Grigoris Makridis, President of the Cypriot Mathematical Society, to participate in the committee of Math-Factor, has allowed us to see very closely the little people of Europe and not them alone, to give their best in order to explain in just a few minutes, some of the most impressive fundamental elements of Mathematics to an inexpert audience.
The Mathematicians know how difficult this process is in itself, but in this case, this student challenge, was the excuse for the creativity of young people to be externalised.
The management of space, their personal constructions which supported their words, the theatricality of the small duration course, the difficulty of each one, and the humanity, overall indicated that, these young people did not simply create a specific mathematics competition, but they made Maths their own experience, and this was the most substantial for us.
Therefore, the committee evaluated the content, the accuracy, and everyone’s gift to present in english, which was not their native language, issues as diverse as the multitude of prime nunbers, Russel’s paradox, the dilemma of prisoners, the possibilities in a summation of partial configurations, the optimal selection strategy, the concept of completion, the doubling of shapes etc. This is the mission of Math-Factor and not just that, of an additional competition in Mathematics.