Entering the lecture I am suffocated by a tension in the atmosphere. The Zoo Major lecture theatre seems to be encapsulating a thousand brainwaves and thoughts. My experiences in this lecture theatre are very different. Having attended English literature lectures in this same venue this year, Zoo Major has become a place where I have been introduced to revolutionary thoughts. It has been a zone which has brought out much of my unfound creativity. Yet, the energy of the lecture theatre now, when walking in on a Mathematics 1 lecture, is very different.

I trod into the lecture, late as usual, looking like a mix match of BA creativity. My daisy imprinted gumboots clomping, my numerous charm bracelets jingling and untamed hair bellowing everywhere. This is obviously the incorrect dress code for so serious a lecture. Feeling the eyes of the resident Maths-goers, I quickly take up a seat. I find myself next to a younger version of Bill Gates. Sensing his confusion (a feeling I expect these young geniuses are not accustomed to) I break the ice with a quick, “Hey, is this the Maths 1 lecture?” He simply replied: “Yes.” Yet, from his facial expressions it was clear that he was still questioning my presence. To put his mind at ease, before the abuse that Pythagoras was about to be release on it, I quickly added that I am a “journ” student here to immerse myself in a foreign environment. A smile came to his face, filled with the delight that he was about to watch a “journo” drown in their complex sea of theories, formulae and numbers.

“Now I’ve put the formula up on the board, so completing this question should be easy” came from the young lecturer, Kate Koch. I looked up from my notepad and found this on the board: V = π _c ∫ ^d (f/y)² - (g(y))² dy

My first reaction was to laugh. Solving this equation looked like an archaeologist’s mission of decoding an ancient script. However, I knew that if I were in their position my reaction probably would have been a more tearful one.

While it took me a few minutes to take down this exotic equation, the students around me were tackling the question as they were the detectives and this was a new exciting case. I could feel a strange enthusiasm as ideas were swopped and an answer was finally found.

After experiencing the intensity of a Mathematics lecture I have a new respect for these people which we stereotype as nerds. Their abilities to think, reason and use these complex formulae to solve what I would deem the unsolvable is remarkable. It would, however, be interesting to chuck one on these “mathletes” into the creative depths of an English literature lecture or even a “journ” immersion exercise. Wouldn’t it be fascinating to see these experts of logic thrown outside their box? Let the faculty swopping begin...