Calculations of an infinite interest

By Gianna Piroso

Sitting at the oversized tables in his fourth-grade classroom, he watched the teacher jot down questions on the dry-erase board with wide eyes and an eager mind. While many fourth-graders spent their time running around playgrounds and watching cartoons, Skyler Mao spent his analyzing numbers and racing to win competitions with his school math club. 

Mao’s love for math is fueled by the satisfaction of completing a problem. He enjoys putting his brain to the test and pushing himself to think outside of the box, especially when his answer is correct. 

“Rather than boring questions that require formula-plugging, I get that feeling when I solve problems that require critical thinking, and I enjoy working through the steps to acquire a final problem,” Mao said. 

He described the feeling as the happiness that comes with locking in the last piece of a difficult puzzle.

“Solving a problem is like solving a puzzle, since all the parts in the math problem forming the solution is like having all the puzzle pieces in a puzzle coming together,” Mao said. 

Before joining the club in fourth grade, math was simply an interesting class to Mao. He did not know that joining the school club, due to his parents’ suggestion, would open a brand new world of numbers and problems. His curiosity would lead him to explore math outside of the classroom at numerous competitions and summer camps. 

“You also get to work with your friends and meet new people [at the competition] as well. In math class, you usually just sit through a boring lecture, and the problems aren’t really that interesting and great,” Mao said. 

Whether it is due to a lack of opponents to face or no award to win, Mao admits that math classes are not nearly as captivating as the competitions. However, he enjoys when the topic can be applied to daily scenarios.

“I enjoy geometry because it’s more visual, and you are able to see all the lines and angles connect to form a figure,” Mao said. 

Although some may find math to be stressful or tedious, Mao is willing to put in the hard work because he knows the joy he feels when his teacher checks his correct answers is worth it.