Olympics will have math immersion for 160 students

The 8th edition of the Hilbert Hotel Meeting will gather this year, in Natal, 160 students from all over Brazil for an immersion in the world of mathematics. Participants were selected for their academic performance in the Junior Scientific Initiation Program (PIC), intended for medalists in the Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools (OBMEP). The event will be between the next Monday (24) and Thursday (27). Promoted by the Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (Impa) (photo), the initiative will have 17 university professors from different regions of the country to discuss themes of the mathematical universe and encourage students to dedicate themselves to improving their studies. For four days, boys and girls from the 6th year of elementary school to the 3rd year of high school will participate in competitions, classes, lectures and will be challenged to solve the problem of the day. The best solutions will be presented to colleagues and teachers. Fact or fake? Lectures will address topics such as “The three classical problems of geometry”; “Fact or fake? What ensures someone believes that a mathematical fact is valid?” and “How did we get here? A version of the history of Western science!” The first Hotel de Hilbert Meeting took place in 2011, in Nova Friburgo, in the state of Rio. The objective is to expand the participants’ scientific knowledge and prepare them for future professional and academic performance. Medalists from public schools that are part of the program receive a R$ 300 scholarship. The Deputy Director of Impa and General Coordinator of OBMEP, Claudio Landim, points out that, for students, it will be a huge opportunity to attend lectures given by scientists. “It will be a first contact with the world of research. On the other hand, it will be an opportunity to meet other young people who are interested in mathematics and talk about career prospects. It is a great stimulus for them to develop their talent and continue their studies at the university”, he says. Isabela Besen, 14 years old, 9th grade student at Cel Gasparino Zorzi Basic Education School, in Campos Novos, Santa Catarina, is a gold medalist last year and a bronze medalist this year at the Olympics. She says that she was very excited to learn that she will participate in the Hotel de Hilbert, because all the effort and dedication to the tasks paid off. “OBMEP is very important in my life. She opened many doors for me and showed that I am capable of reaching places I never thought I could. [chegar]. It was with her that I discovered that my true talent is mathematics, ”he explains. Jhonatan Kalil, 16, a 2nd year high school student at Escola Estadual Gonçalves Dias, in Ji-Paraná, Rondônia, is a bronze medalist in 2019, gold in 2021 and bronze in 2022 at the Olympics. “Before the Olympics, I thought that the math I studied at school was enough. After I realized that I really liked math, I didn’t know anything and I started to really study. Today, I think about studying mathematics and I know that the event will have specialists in the area”, he analyzes. Landim, general coordinator of the Olympics, says that the initiative tries to detect students with talent for mathematics who end up participating in the PIC. In this program, they meet twice a month at a university or a federal institute and there are classes through problem solving. “This has allowed several students who would not have access to university to reach higher education. Many are the first in their families to graduate from high school. OBMEP has had a huge impact on society, as it ends up rewarding merit and encouraging talented students to study. At Impa, we have received many medalists from the Olympics”, says Landim. Infinity paradox In 1925, German mathematician David Hilbert came up with an infinity paradox. In it, there is a hotel with infinite rooms always full, with a guest in each room. However, whenever a new customer arrives, the manager asks guests to move to the next room. In mathematical language, it is more or less like this: the guest from room N jumps to room N+1 and so on. Better known as Hotel de Hilbert, the paradox exposes the idea that, despite being always crowded, there are always vacancies. This year’s Hotel de Hilbert Meeting has the support of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), the Brazilian Society of Mathematics and Itaú Social.

Agência Brasil