International Pi Day (π) was celebrated at Instituto Superior Técnico with the first Portuguese edition of Náboj, an international mathematical competition attended by around 200 students from 3rd cycle and secondary education. On 14 March, for two hours of intense concentration and strategy, teams from schools all over the country faced mathematical challenges of increasing difficulty at Técnico Innovation Center powered by Fidelidade, testing their limits in logical reasoning, strategy and teamwork.
The name of the competition, Náboj, means ‘bullet’ or ‘electric charge’ in Slovak, reflecting the intensity of the event, where every second counts in trying to solve one more problem before the final time. Náboj challenges teams to solve mathematical problems of progressive complexity. ‘At the beginning of the competition, each team receives six problems. As soon as the team correctly solves any of the problems, it receives a new one. As time progresses, the difficulty of the challenges increases, making the final stretch of the competition a real maths sprint’, explains Ana Rita Pires, a Técnico alumna (Master’s programme in Mathematics) and a current professor at the University of Edinburgh.
The energy in the room was intensified by the fact that the international leaderboard was updated in real time, allowing teams to track their position against competitors from the 14 countries (Austria, Czechia, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Iran, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland, Uzbekistan and the United Kingdom). This year’s edition involved 1509 teams.
‘It’s a different challenge. We have to think quickly and organise our strategy well as a team’, commented Rafael Gonçalves, a student at Padre António Vieira Secondary School, as he discussed the best approach to face the challenge. The competition, organised by the Department of Mathematics at Técnico and TreeTree2, marked Portugal’s debut in this initiative, which has been touring Europe since 1998.
Before the winners were announced, Rogério Colaço, the President of Técnico, addressed the participants, emphasising the real differentiating factor between the great mathematicians and scientists: ‘What sets them apart is not that they are very intelligent, it’s that they don’t have a unique feature compared to other people, except for one: they have fun with what they do’, he said. The President also stressed the importance of cultivating a taste for maths and science from an early age, pointing out that enthusiasm and curiosity are fundamental drivers of knowledge: ‘If you woke up today to be here for this competition, regardless of the result, that shows you enjoy this fascinating area of knowledge that is maths. And that makes you special people.’
Náboj ended with the announcement of the winning teams in the Junior (10th grade or younger) and Senior (11th and 12th grade) categories, marked by applause and smiles. The first prizes in both categories went to students from Colégio Moderno. The best national teams came 361st in the Junior category and 79th overall in the Senior category.
The energy and involvement of the participants left the door open for future editions. ‘This first edition exceeded our expectations with 32 teams signed up. The participation and enthusiasm of the participants show that there is great potential to continue growing in Portugal,’ emphasised João Rico, a PhD student at Técnico and the competition coordinator in Portugal.
Photo gallery.
In the media:
– Técnico recebe primeira edição em Portugal do concurso internacional de matemática Náboj (Jornal Económico)
– Estes problemas não são brincadeiras de criança: Técnico estreia Portugal no Náboj (Sapo)
– “Náboj” chega ao Instituto Superior Técnico (para promover a Matemática) (Revista Mais Educativa)
– Primeiro Jornal SIC
