From the files of Math's Squad!  The final instalment by Aliyah

Math's Squad, the last part, took place on the 14th April 2008. As usual, we signed in and sat into our groups we were put in. As we were waiting for the other teams to arrive. These included St. Peter's Kaskenmoor and Little Moss. 

Let battle commence!

• The challenge started off with a treasure fraction. We had to divide up two or three different words till we found the correct answer.
  
  When we had finished that, all the words had made up a sentence. It was something like; the first one to finish this will win a prize if they use your head you will find Mars underneath the South Pole.
  
  The trick to it was there was a globe right on the stage in front and underneath that globe (underneath the south part of the globe), was a Mars Bar chocolate! Amrat Hassan from Manchester Academy figured it out and won the chocolate!

Marathon Challenge

• Next task was another marathon, (no not the old chocolate bar renamed Snickers!) but with no running about. We were all given a booklet of 25-30 questions in it. We had a limited amount of time to complete it all.
  
  After the first one finished, the second one was given out, then after the second, the third. Each time the new booklet was given out, it had more questions in, harder and more amount of time to complete it.

Taking on Tarrant

• After that task, we had gone straight on to the 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' math's challenge. But they were not going to give away money. Instead they were going to tell us how to win £1,000,000.
  
  We were given these buttons, but in a control setting. We had to set it to the math's challenge so that they knew the exact percent of who was playing or not. This control is usually used for physics and to help with math's answers. There was one question that everyone got stuck on, so we went for a short break, and then we decided afterwards. We had all got the question right, but at the end, the last question, we lost and went all the way back down.
  
  After that, the person who got nearly all of the questions right, got told how to win one million pounds. To win it, they had to work everyday with a good job and by time there finished, they would have made nearly 1,000,000!
  
  As we were running out of time, we had to skip the last activity, a puzzle, and we went straight on to evaluating the events that took place. We had to answer questions that involved if we had enjoyed it, have we learnt anything and what they should improve on doing for the challenges yet to come.

Just Rewards

• Then lastly before we went, the prizes were given out. Most of the prizes given out were mostly for the pupils of Manchester Academy. At the end of the days we have been there, we all have to agree that we have all learnt something out of the sessions at the math's squad.
  
  I would urge other students to take part in next years competition - it lasts a long time but is really is a lot of fun.
  

Maths Squad: Phase Three / Maths Squad: Phase Two / Maths Squad: Phase One