Fifth grader Rachel Bringewatt poses with her winning entry, “Planting by the Numbers.”

At the Davidson Elementary Math Fair Thursday night, Feb. 15, nearly 150 third, fourth and fifth graders offered projects on subjects as varied as the popularity of candies, how to manipulate graphs and charts, price comparisons among local stores and the real-world applications of math.

Awards were given to the top three projects in each grade. First and second place winners advance to the regional competition, with third-place winners being considered alternates.

Hundreds of parents filled the Davidson Elementary gym Thursday night as the projects were unveiled for public viewing. Many visitors found there wasn’t enough time to see all the great and detailed work.

“We are delighted with the great variety of projects this year and with the high quality of student work,” math fair coordinator Colleen Thrailkill said in a message on the Math Fair program booklet.

THE WINNERS

Rachel Bringewatt took first place among fifth graders with a project called “Planting by the Numbers,” which looked at how a landscape designer uses math. There was a tie for second place, with one of the awards going to John O’Connell and Jay Fesperman for their work, “Will a 30-Degree Ramp Send Us Farther than a 20-Degree Ramp?” The other second place red ribbon went to Ellen Montgomery for her basketball-inspired project, “Gotta Make Those Free Throws.” In third place was Jacob Bringewatt for his project “Train Wreck-Tournament of Trains.”

Among fourth graders, Christopher Venzon (photo) took the top prize with his “Bullseye,” a study of the geometry of archery. Christina Dennis took second for her survey of speeding cars on Concord Road near her home. And third place went to Adam Cosgrove, for answering “How Many Revolutions Does a NASCAR Tire Make from Wilmington to San Francisco?”

Nash Grier and Toby Sharp had the top third-grade project, called “Speed Math.” Michael Griggs and Michael VanBuhler were second with a project called “Traveling Buddies.” And Hannah Kate Brock took third with her “Angels, Angles and Lines.”