which epq idea is better?

hiyaa i want to do pure maths at uni and idk whether do do me epq on:

- determining whether maths was invented or discovered (will talk about the golden ratio, fibonacci sequence in biological settings, debates between plato and aristole, the chamber experiment, number theory, objective truths, proofs, concept of infinity, famous unsolved equations etc)

- strategic approaches to gain advantages in games (will talk about game theory, how to manipulate the odds of games like rock paper scissors in your favour mathematically, mathematical analysis, case studies, ethics, mathematical models used to predict outcomes in competitive situations, experiments where i will test certain strategies like making decisions on expected opponent moves and how to predict them, how to use this to create your own game etc)

im really conflicted on which idea i should pick as i really want to do research on both but they arent similar so i cant does anyone have any suggestions on which they think is better? any help will be GREATLY appreciated !!

Reply 1

aspiringavocado9

which would you have a bigger genuine interest in doing? both are applicable to maths but i think the gaming one is defo more unique and i think admissions could find it rlly interesting. since epq is v time consuming i suggest u do the one you'd enjoy researching and writing about more.
all the best <3

Reply 2

annabel whittle

Original post by agcstudies

ahh idk i really love pure maths and want to study it at uni which is why i like the first idea and i also have a lot of resources i could use for it like documentaries ive watched but on the other hand i recently though about doing one related to game theory as i think i could make a really cool piece of work surrounding it however im a lot less experienced in the subject so im not too sure where to start but i think it could work out better as the first one doesn't really have an answer so the epq would be more like a summary of the topic whereas the game theory one i can do experiments to support my findings

which do you think would be more interesting to someone who has no interest in maths? im not sure as people ive spoken to think that the one on pure maths sounds very cool which really surprised me as i thought they would have no interest, also do you have any ideas on how i could centre the game theory one as n what would be most interesting to see in the final product

thank you so much for replying !!

Reply 3

aspiringavocado9

Original post by annabel whittle

ahh idk i really love pure maths and want to study it at uni which is why i like the first idea and i also have a lot of resources i could use for it like documentaries ive watched but on the other hand i recently though about doing one related to game theory as i think i could make a really cool piece of work surrounding it however im a lot less experienced in the subject so im not too sure where to start but i think it could work out better as the first one doesn't really have an answer so the epq would be more like a summary of the topic whereas the game theory one i can do experiments to support my findings
which do you think would be more interesting to someone who has no interest in maths? im not sure as people ive spoken to think that the one on pure maths sounds very cool which really surprised me as i thought they would have no interest, also do you have any ideas on how i could centre the game theory one as n what would be most interesting to see in the final product
thank you so much for replying !!

as someone who isn't that interested in maths i hv to say ur game theory idea rlly caught my eye 🙂 also yh i agree that the game theory idea would have a more definitive conclusion but again the final decision is urs :smile:

Reply 4

mqb2766

Original post by annabel whittle

ahh idk i really love pure maths and want to study it at uni which is why i like the first idea and i also have a lot of resources i could use for it like documentaries ive watched but on the other hand i recently though about doing one related to game theory as i think i could make a really cool piece of work surrounding it however im a lot less experienced in the subject so im not too sure where to start but i think it could work out better as the first one doesn't really have an answer so the epq would be more like a summary of the topic whereas the game theory one i can do experiments to support my findings
which do you think would be more interesting to someone who has no interest in maths? im not sure as people ive spoken to think that the one on pure maths sounds very cool which really surprised me as i thought they would have no interest, also do you have any ideas on how i could centre the game theory one as n what would be most interesting to see in the final product
thank you so much for replying !!

I doubt that the choice would have that much of an impact in an application, but Id choose the one that interested you the most, as long as its reasonably grounded/doable as youve want to be enthusiastic about it but it has to be completed within a reasonable time period.

From a negative point of view, the game theory one could be a bit too advanced for a level. The first one sounds a bit like a beginners guide to greek maths. Certainly doable and some interesting bits in, though maths discovered/invented is fairly well worn question and sometimes the evidence/reasoning given doesnt fit it. If youre interested in pure maths, going greek with the first one will almost inevitably cover a fair bit of geometry and thats pretty much old hat these days.