The MCM was created in 1982 under the guidance of Ben Fusaro of Salisbury State University, Maryland; it has been designed to stimulate and improve problem solving and writing skills in a team setting.
The contest is traditionally held on a weekend in mid-February. It begins at 12:01 AM EST time on a Friday, and officially ends at 11:59 PM the following Monday.
For the past nine years, the Department of Mathematics at PLU has entered one or two teams consisting of three students. Each team must be registered in advance.
The team(s) are presented with two problems. The problems are designed to be open-ended and are unlikely to have a unique solution. During the contest, the team cannot discuss any aspect of the problem with their advisor or with anyone else. However, each team may use computers, software packages, libraries, or any other inanimate resources. Once the work is finished, each team submits a technical report describing the problem, the model, and their analysis.
Individual papers are judged into four categories of increasing honor as follows:
The 2001 MCM had 496 teams representing 238 institution from 11 countries/regions: Australia, Canada, England, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Lithuania, P.R. China, Singapore, South Africa, and the United States.
For more information, or to sign up, contact Mei Zhu at (253) 535-7404 or at zhuma@plu.edu.
The Putnam Competition is an annual mathematics competition for undergraduates, sponsored by the Mathematical Association of America. The Putnam Competition began as a friendly contest between Harvard University and the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1938, but now students from many universities in the United States and Canada participate each year. It is great fun. The competition emphasizes originality and ingenuity rather than book learning. PLU usually enters teams of from six to twelve students and frequently has done well in the competition, especially considering our small size relative to most of the other the competing institutions.
Any undergraduate student! But a background including Math 253 and registration in one additional math course is recommended. Mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computer science majors have all done well in the past.
The competition takes place on the first Saturday in December. There will be a morning session and an aftenoon session, each lasting 3 hours. Each contestant works individually. There are usually 6 problems in each session. The problems are difficult, and a student who solves 2 or 3 of the problems has done very well. There is no disgrace at all in a low score, but if you get a good score people will be impressed, both at PLU and elsewhere. Prizes and scholarships are awarded to top teams and individuals.
Yes! We will meet Mondays from 3:40-5 pm in MCLT 132. We will practice on problems from old competitions, and discuss solutions and techniques. We have fun with the problems and with each other, and munch on a regular supply of cookies. For those who want it, one hour of academic credit (Math 381) can be arranged for participation in the practice sessions and the competition. For those who register for credit, the class expectations are to participate in the practice sessions and actual competition. If you cannot come to the practice sessions, you can still participate in the competition.
For more information, or to sign up, contact Rachid Benkhalti at (253) 535-8730 or at benkhar@plu.edu.