By Casey Neill
Changken Chan is a mathematical marvel.
The Dandenong 12-year-old was in the top 0.3 per cent of Grade 6 students who completed the 40th annual Australian Mathematics Competition on 27 July, an activity of the Australian Mathematics Trust.
The Dandenong West Primary student has been invited to attend the Australian Maths Trust Awards presentation evening on Monday 30 October for the outstanding result.
The competition lasts one hour and tests from basic numeracy skills through to advanced problem solving.
“I wasn’t really surprised,” Changken said.
“I kind of half expected it because I knew I got most of the questions right and only a few wrong.”
He found his talent for maths “a long time ago, in Prep”.
“I was good at logical reasoning and finding out ways to do things in a methodical way,” he said.
“I started learning some things about maths and I practised some.
“I told my mum to buy some books about maths.
“I practised and I got faster at it.”
Changken said he “accelerated very quickly” in Years 3 and 4.
He puts his success down to “just hard work” and a bit of natural talent.
“I have fun doing it, but I don’t get that excited when I do maths,” he said.
“I just enjoy it.
“I like practising and I enjoy trying to solve problems.”
Last year he placed in the top 7 per cent in his year level.
“I looked at last year’s one, saw what I got wrong … ” he said.
“To be more careful, that was the basic thing.
“I concentrated more and got better results.”
This time he got just three questions wrong.
“I feel great about it,” he said.
Changken’s classmates also performed well in the contest.
The school entered 16 students. Four achieved a certificate of distinction for placing in the top 20 per cent.
Five students achieved a credit and six students received a proficiency certificate.
More than 4000 students from Australia and beyond took part.
