Math Enrichment - E2K Program

Through the efforts of the Gruss Foundation, JKHA is able to participate in an enrichment program that will challenge and inspire our top students to take their math knowledge and instincts to a higher level. Although all students are taught to think about what lies behind their answer and analyze the results, there are certain areas of math that are beyond the scope of a middle school math curriculum.

Many of these ideas encompass what is generally referred to as discrete math. This is a more subtle approach to math which requires a creative eye to not only know which tool will correctly solve the problem, but to create a new tool with which to solve the problem at hand.

As an example, in the 18th century, the great mathematician Leonard Euler was given a problem which became known as the Bridges of Koenigsburg. The task was to find a way of walking across a set of bridges so that each bridge was crossed exactly one time. This laid the groundwork for future research in problem solving and research which have been applied in countless fields.

Once students are able to see that there is no formula that they can use to just plug in some numbers, they will see that only through their initiative and creativity will they find the solution.

The program takes place after school one day a week, and has a much more casual atmosphere of learning than a regular class, which supports the innovative mode of thinking required for these types of problems.