Huntingdon boy, 10, crowned one of world's top 'mathletes'


What is 13 squared? Four cubed? How about the cube root of 27?

If you're struggling, the answers are below. 

But these are all questions that 10-year-old Felix Axmacher can answer - without any help -in a flash.

Felix has been crowned one of the top "mathletes" on the planet after winning the UK year six category in the largest maths competition in the world.

Felix Axmacher, from Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, said he felt "really proud and shocked" after finding out he had won his category and was ranked 6th best in the world. 

“I was aiming for the top 100, so it was really unexpected. I really like that there is always a right and a wrong. There’s never an in-between. There’s always an answer.”

Can you beat a 10-year-old at maths?

1. What is 13 squared?

169

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2. What is four cubed?

64.

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What is the cube root of 27?

3.

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He added: “My mum and dad are really impressed, I think. Nothing has ever happened like this before in our family”. 

Felix, who is a maths ambassador at his school, was up against millions of children from 160 countries, in the World Maths Day Global Challenge.

His peers at Spaldwick Community School in Huntingdon said they were "incredibly proud" of him, with many of them looking up to their talented friend. 

“He’s a really good friend and helps me with my maths. He’s got me into maths to how I like it today,” explained one classmate. 

Headteacher Louise Worrell said the school could not be prouder of Felix's achievements.

"We were surprised. He's an amazing mathematician, but we expected with so many children in the competition, it would be a tough job to get to number one," she said.

"We are so proud of him and we just think he's an absolute superstar."

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