The HooHacks Team hosted its second annual Estimathon on Tuesday in Thornton Hall, in collaboration with Jane Street, the trading company that started the worldwide event.
The fast-paced and engaging competition combines elements of trivia and logic puzzle challenges. Teammates work together to answer tough mathematical-based questions and race to have the best set of estimations.
For example, “How long does it take for the light from the sun to reach Voyager 1?” Good question! And no fair consulting the internet or other resources!
Estimathon encourages students to develop critical problem-solving and collaborative skills. The challenges mirror real-world scenarios, such as those faced by traders and engineers, where logical reasoning and efficient teamwork can save time and resources.
“It was extremely fun strategizing with my friends and evaluating each other's methods to come up with the best estimates,” said Mikhail Kornilov, an undergraduate studying mathematics and computer science, and one of the winners among the four teams that claimed bragging rights this week.
The event is just one of many hosted by HooHacks organizers during the year to foster innovation and skill development as a lead up to HooHacks, Virginia’s largest hackathon, which will be hosted again in March.