The future looks bright for a Grahamstown Grade 10 maths boffin who finished fifth in a national matric mathematics olympiad that drew more than 80000 entrants.
St Andrews College (SAC) mathematician Nic Kroon, 16, was the top Eastern Cape student at the prestigious SA Mathematics Olympiad and is now in the running to make the six-strong national team for next year’s world championships.
“I am passionate about mathematics, I enjoy the challenge of working out difficult problems,” he said.
“It can take a while but it is great when you make a breakthrough and finally solve it.”
Hooked on problem solving from a young age, the apple clearly does not fall far from the tree and Kroon dreams of one day following in the footsteps of his elder brother Matthew and his father Simon – who is acting head of maths at SAC – by also studying actuarial science.
Not all brains and no brawn, the talented youngster – who can puzzle out a Rubik Cube in the blink of an eye – also rows at the highest level in the school’s highly regarded First Sculls team.
“I’ve got a collection of different sized and shaped Rubik’s Cubes and my best time to complete one is 12 seconds.”
Kroon said he became hooked on problem solving when he was in Grade 7 and cracked the nod to compete as a junior in the International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) in Bali in 2011.
In the holidays he spends hours and even days working on his mathematics to prepare for the gruelling four-hour exam.
His proud father – who admitted he battled to solve some of the problems Nic worked on – said it took “grit and determination” to spend free time working on maths.
Next year’s IMO will be held in Thailand, with the top six scholars from an April national maths camp cracking the nod to represent South Africa. — davidm@dispatch.co.za
Maths boffin flies E Cape flag high
St Andrews College (SAC) mathematician Nic Kroon, 16, was the top Eastern Cape student at the prestigious SA Mathematics Olympiad and is now in the running to make the six-strong national team for next year’s world championships.
“I am passionate about mathematics, I enjoy the challenge of working out difficult problems,” he said.
“It can take a while but it is great when you make a breakthrough and finally solve it.”
Hooked on problem solving from a young age, the apple clearly does not fall far from the tree and Kroon dreams of one day following in the footsteps of his elder brother Matthew and his father Simon – who is acting head of maths at SAC – by also studying actuarial science.
Not all brains and no brawn, the talented youngster – who can puzzle out a Rubik Cube in the blink of an eye – also rows at the highest level in the school’s highly regarded First Sculls team.
“I’ve got a collection of different sized and shaped Rubik’s Cubes and my best time to complete one is 12 seconds.”
Kroon said he became hooked on problem solving when he was in Grade 7 and cracked the nod to compete as a junior in the International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) in Bali in 2011.
In the holidays he spends hours and even days working on his mathematics to prepare for the gruelling four-hour exam.
His proud father – who admitted he battled to solve some of the problems Nic worked on – said it took “grit and determination” to spend free time working on maths.
Next year’s IMO will be held in Thailand, with the top six scholars from an April national maths camp cracking the nod to represent South Africa. — davidm@dispatch.co.za
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