Budding young mathematicians were given the chance to show off their skills yesterday in the semi-final of a nationwide competition.
The penultimate round of the National Young Mathematicians’ Awards took place at the Explore Learning centre on Garthdee Road in Aberdeen.
Teams of four from Robert Gordon’s College, Cornhill Primary School and Quarryhill Primary School took part.
The youngsters were asked to solve a multi-layered problem which would require teamwork and in depth mathematical thinking.
The five best teams from across the country will meet at Cambridge University early next month for the grand final and the teams from Aberdeen will have to wait to find out if they have made it to the final hurdle.
If successful they will get the chance to meet children’s author Stefan Gates who will announce the overall winner on the day.
Charlotte Te-Camp, the associate director of Explore Learning Aberdeen, said the team work of the youngsters was particularly impressive and they even outperformed some adults.
She said: “It was a really wonderful afternoon, we were so pleased with the kids who did some great work.
“The way they picked up some of the problems was really impressive, and better than some of the adults that were present.
“The improvement from the first round to the semi-final was plain to see, particularly in the kids team work.
“That’s what the competition is all about and they were marked just as much on their ability to work together as they were on maths ability.”