Evan Michael O’Dorney
California
Venture School
Evan Michael O’Dorney, 17, of Danville, compared continued fraction convergents
with iterated linear fraction transformations for his Intel Science Talent
Search project in mathematics. Evan drew upon his fascination with patterns in
studying two methods for approximating the square root of a non-square integer.
One method (continued fractions) is more accurate, while the other (iterated
linear transformation) is faster. He discovered exact conditions under which the
iteration method produces the same values as the continued fraction method
infinitely often. A student at Venture School in San Ramon, Evan has
participated in several math competitions and was a winner in the 2010 USA
Mathematical Olympiad. He is also involved in the Berkeley Math Circle, where he
instructs his fellow students and serves as a contest coordinator. Additionally,
Evan is an accompanist for the childrens and teen choirs at his church and
sings in the adult choir. He also volunteers regularly with a local homeless
outreach program. The son of Michael and Jennifer ODorney, Evan enjoys
improvising and composing music for the piano and programming games to be played
on a calculator. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics.
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