The involvement of SES La Llosa de Ranes in calculator-free mental math began in the 2015 academic year, following a visit from Alberto Coto García, a seven-time world champion in this discipline. His intervention motivated the mathematics department, led by Rebeca Castro, to collaborate with his platform and participate in the International Virtual Olympiads.
In the 2022-23 academic year, the center participated for the first time in the Second Mental Math Olympiad, achieving a seventh-place finish in the team qualifiers. In subsequent editions, they secured tenth and fourth places. In the current edition, involvement has increased with the integration of teams into the PMCM (mathematical competence improvement project) and the inclusion of more students from first and third years of ESO, achieving their best classification yet.
One of the six teams presented, named 'Infinitos', has achieved first place in Spain and fifth worldwide. This effort has allowed the optional subject PMCM for second and fourth years of ESO to be consolidated, which also prepares students for the Kangaroo Tests, the National Rubik's Cube Competition (where they reached the semifinals last year and will compete in the final this year), and the European Statistics Olympiad, where they have also qualified for the final elimination round.
“"Perseverance is the foundation of success and demonstrates that the vast majority of simple mathematical operations can be performed without using calculators."
Teacher Rebeca Colomer emphasizes that perseverance is key to success, proving that many operations can be done without a calculator. Some PMCM students can perform up to 92 multiplications in 60 seconds, thanks to the stimulation provided by mental math competitions.
