The 2024 International Mathematics and Science Olympiad (IMSO) for students under 13 years old around the world took place from October 1 to October 6 in Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China. The competition attracted 300 contestants from 18 countries, including the Vietnamese delegation with 24 students (divided equally in Mathematics and Science).
Nguyen Phuong Thao, a 7th grade student at Olympia High School in Hanoi , was one of the six Vietnamese contestants to win a Gold medal in Mathematics. What is impressive is that last school year, Thao won a Silver medal in Science at this prestigious international competition.
Although there are only 2 weeks to prepare for IMSO 2024, to achieve the highest results, for Phuong Thao this is a whole process.
Nguyen Phuong Thao won the International Mathematics Gold Medal. Photo: Tao Nga
Sharing with Dan Viet newspaper reporter, Nguyen Phuong Thao said: "Last year I took the Science exam, so this year I want to change my exam subject and try Math. I love Math because it is an interesting subject, many problems have interesting solutions. I also want to have more experiences."
At IMSO 2024, Phuong Thao had to overcome 2 difficult rounds with the test entirely in English. In round 1, the contestants took the test online and selected the 20 contestants with the highest scores in each subject of Math and Science to move on to round 2. After round 2 of centralized testing and writing essays directly on paper, the 12 contestants with the highest scores in each subject will become the national representatives to compete in the international round of IMSO.
The IMSO Math exam consists of three parts: Multiple choice (60 minutes), Essay (90 minutes) and Discovery (120 minutes), revolving around knowledge of algebra, geometry and combinatorics. For Phuong Thao, part 3 is the most difficult because the exam requires candidates to come up with multiple solutions to a problem. This encourages students to think multidimensionally to find the best solution.
With 2 weeks to prepare, Phuong Thao planned to review and practice the fastest way to do the test, saving the most time. The secret to doing the test is to choose the easy questions to do first. For the questions she couldn't do, Phuong Thao reviewed them many times to do them fluently. In addition, at school, Thao received enthusiastic support from her teachers, who found more math problems and accompanied her in reviewing.
Phuong Thao's passion for Math comes from her parents. Her parents were both students majoring in Math, so no matter how difficult a problem she encountered, her parents would guide her. Most importantly, Thao's mother always gave her the opportunity to gain new knowledge and explore her own interests.
It is known that during her primary school years, Phuong Thao was allowed by her mother to participate in many famous Math competitions and won many outstanding achievements.
"My mother lets me study the subjects I love and she lets me experience new subjects. I really like studying IT, Science, and subjects related to economics and law. In addition, I am passionate about some musical instruments such as piano, guitar, traditional musical instruments, reading science fiction books in English, and watching cartoons," Thao said.
Thao and the vice homeroom teacher. Photo: Tao Nga
Commenting on her young student, teacher Dang Ngoc My Anh, vice head teacher of class 7H3, said: "Phuong Thao is a cheerful, energetic student. She is always proactive in her studies, assesses her own abilities, and has an interest in math.
During the learning process, if there are parts that I do not understand, I always actively discuss with my teachers. I do not study to pass the exam but to find a way to improve myself. During class, my child is excited about the assigned tasks and is not afraid to share his opinions to make the lesson more special. Thao is different from her friends because she has participated in many exams, so her problem-solving skills are faster, she has more experience, and she can implement them faster and better than her friends.
When I received the news that my child won the Gold medal, I was very happy and proud. I hope this will be a great motivation for my child to continue pursuing his passion."
Source: https://danviet.vn/nu-sinh-lop-7-o-ha-noi-gianh-huy-chuong-vang-toan-quoc-te-dam-me-tu-bo-me-chuyen-toan-20241011104912903.htm
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