LTCC math students claim top prize at statewide conference

A trio of math students at Lake Tahoe Community College grabbed the top prize at a recent statewide mathematics conference for their outstanding student poster entry for general math. Christian Eckert, Mark McCullough and J.C. Stephens were awarded $100 for their winning poster at the California Mathematics Council Community Colleges (CMC3) annual conference, held in Monterey this past weekend.

The winning poster was designed to explain, “Optimizing Volume of a Hanging Mass System Using the Disk Method.” The disk method is a technique borrowed from calculus that can be used to find the volume of a rotating mass system. The students built the contraption, rotated it, and collected data from it. They then compared elliptical, polynomial and sinusoidal models to come up with the best fitting model. Finally, they performed the experiment and completed the mathematics by themselves, with a bit of guidance from LTCC math faculty member Dr. Larry Green.

For more information about the Mathematics Department at LTCC, please contact Dr. Green at (530) 541-4660 ext. 341, or send an email to DrLarryGreen@gmail.com.