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Testing the Limits in Advanced Topics

18 October 2022
Emma W, Alexandra ‘23
School has only been in session for a month, but Mr Prokopchuk’s Advanced Topics in Mathematics class is racing through subject material at an immeasurable velocity.

Advanced Topics — the name says it all.

This is the highest level math class offered at Brentwood and is notorious for housing pupils who excel at math and want an extra challenge - as if their 5 APs aren’t already enough. Prospective students can expect to delve into exciting subjects that aren’t covered until the second year of university, such as matrices and number theory. Math teacher Jordan Warner commended the course, claiming it “offers an opportunity for Brentwood students to explore math topics such as linear algebra that they would otherwise not see in high school, and develops a foundation of understanding to support future forays into mathematics at university”.

We’ve already been introduced to vectors in 3D space, opening up a whole new realm of possibilities. In past math courses, we only worked with two dimensions. Graphs with a third (or a fourth, or a tenth) dimension allow us to see the real-world applications for everything we have learned thus far in our math careers. For example, in the past, we could only calculate the tension of a rope holding up an object in two dimensions, which is not how the object would look in the real world, since there is a third dimension to consider.

Advanced Topics “isn’t just boring calculations. Even ‘math haters’ will be captivated by what is taught in this course” said Karina G, Mackenzie ‘23. This is the kind of math that scientists and engineers use on a daily basis throughout their careers.

If you’re thinking of taking Advanced Topics next year, it might be scary to voluntarily sign up for such a challenging math course - and trust me, you will be challenged - but I can’t recommend it enough. Under Mr Prokopchuk’s careful instruction where there is no such thing as a silly question, you will learn more than you have in any class, and be able to better understand the world. Steven Prokopchuk is passionate about what he teaches and says, “I've had students who went on to study business, medicine or even philosophy who have enjoyed and benefited from taking the course”.

If you’ll excuse me, I’m off to study for my Advanced Topics test on cross products, dot products and projections.

Please pray for me.

Emma W, Alexandra ‘23

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