Mowzer brothers are doing remarkably well in Mathematics
Mowzer brothers are doing remarkably well in Mathematics
Mohammed Yaseen Mowzer and Mohammed Taariq Mowzer are brilliant young men who have their minds in the right places. These brothers are maths geniuses and have done exceptionally well in the SA Mathematics Olympiad (SAMO) over the past years. The pair are introverts and are about to make history as great mathematicians.
Both brothers have been selected as two of Western Cape’s top provincial performers in the 2016 SAMO, organised by the South African Mathematics Foundation (SAMF) and sponsored by Liberty and the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA).
Yaseen has been part of South Africa’s International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) team for the past 3 consecutive years and regards his IMO experience in Thailand as the best. “The Thailand IMO was very nice and well organised and they had very commendable excursions,” he explained. Last year he obtained a bronze medal at the IMO and that has been the highlight of his Maths Olympiad experience.
He thinks questions asked in the SAMO are much more challenging than the normal maths curriculum and has learned so much more maths by participating in the SAMO. His approach is to do the easy questions first, giving him sufficient time to conquer the harder ones. This approach proved successful as he has been in the SAMO top 10 for the past 4 consecutive years.
Taariq Mowzer, Yaseen’s younger brother, said that working through past question papers of the SAMO has helped him improve his performance. Besides the prizes learners receive for making it to the top 10 of the SAMO, being invited to SAMF’s annual Olympiad camp is the highlight. “Other than the cash prize, making it to the Stellenbosch camp is what makes me want to keep on trying the SAMO,” he said. He is inspired by his brother and how well he has performed in the SAMO, IMO and the Pan African Mathematical Olympiad (PAMO). This is his second year participating in the SAMO and he has enjoyed every moment of it and hopes to improve on his performance next year.
Taariq is a very good at chess and has participated in the Commonwealth Chess championships last year in New Delhi and won his first game. He has also taken part in the African Youth Chess Championships and has obtained his national colours for chess. With such a strong mathematical background obtained from the SAMO and having training from South Africa’s best mathematicians these two brothers are definitely going to make their mark in the history books.
The SA Mathematics Foundation (SAMF) provincial awards ceremony is taking place on the 16th of September at the University of Stellenbosch. The awards functions seeks to honour learners who have done well in the 2016 SAMF Olympiad programmes such as the SAMO, Siyanqoba Regional Olympiad Training Programme and SA Mathematics Olympiad Training Programme. A total of 4 229 Western Cape learners participated in the 2nd round of the SA Mathematics Olympiad (SAMO) and the best 9 seniors (grades 10-12) and best 7 juniors (grades 8-9) were selected as provincial winners based on their 2nd round results.
Senior Winners: Bronson Rudner (South African College High School in Cape Town), Timothy Schlesinger and Andrew McGregor (both from Rondebosch Boys' High School in Cape Town)
Senior 1st Runner-up: Mohammed Yaseen Mowzer (Fairbairn College in Cape Town)
Senior 2nd Runners-up: Hannah Clayton (Rustenburg Girls' High School in Cape Town), Sangeun Lee (St. George's Grammar School in Cape Town), Mu-aath Upadhey (Westerford High School in Cape Town), Simon van Riel (Westerford High School in Cape Town) and Ralph McDougall (Curro Durbanville in Bellville).
Junior Winners: Mohammed Taariq Mowzer (Fairbairn College in Cape Town), Thomas Warner (Bishops Diocesan College in Cape Town) and Adri Wessels (Curro Durbanville in Bellville)
Junior 1st Runners-up: Danielle Kleyn (Hoërskool Parel Vallei in Somerset West), Peter Stead (El Shaddai Christian School in Bellville) and Sean van Wyk (Van Wyk Home School in Cape Town)
Junior 2nd Runner-up: Maryam Badsha (Rustenburg Girls' High School in Cape Town).