Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2011 - (Page 16)

COUN by Eric Schneider T he mere mention of the word “contest” conjures up many images in most people’s minds: excitement, fun, feats of skill, maybe an element of luck, and the desire to win. But a math contest? Can a contest centered on a subject many people fear or despise possibly encompass all this? Absolutely! Over the past few years, I’ve learned rsthand that math contests o er all this and much more. MATHCOUNTS: More Than a Contest Mathematics has always been my number one passion. From about age five, I would search online for brainteasers or any problems involving numbers while asking my parents, who are not mathematicians, to help me find more challenging ones as I advanced. It was during one of these searches that my mom and I discovered MATHCOUNTS, a competition for students in grades six through eight. When I entered my first MATHCOUNTS contest in sixth grade, I was very nervous about how well I would do. However, I was confident in my ability to succeed and proudly reached the state level. At the state contest, I scored well enough to earn one of four spots on the team that would represent New Jersey at the national contest in Texas. For the first time, I was part of a math team! It was thrilling to share my love of math and bounce ideas off my three teammates. That first year, I placed in the top 25 percent of the 228 national finalists. This taste of success inspired me to work diligently over the next two years. I continued to study independently and made it to the national level for both of the next two years, placing higher each subsequent year. Probably the best part of the national contest was meeting others my age from nearly every state as well as Guam, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense schools. To this day, if no peers or teachers in my school can help me solve a diﬃcult math problem, or if I want to learn about a math-related opportunity, I often reach out to this network through Facebook, e-mail, or the online forum at ArtofProblemSolving.com. I also contribute when I can by offering advice or suggestions to others on how to solve tricky math problems. Destination: Olympiad MATHCOUNTS is the most popular middle school math contest, but there are other opportunities, such as the American Mathematics Competitions (AMC). While MATHCOUNTS emphasizes quick mathematical thinking, the AMC tests emphasize logical thinking over a greater length of time using more advanced mathematical concepts and theorems. The schools I have attended have offered the AMC tests to the entire school. The AMC 8, for students in grades eight and below, offers a first taste of competition mathematics and prepares those students for the next tests: the AMC 10 and the more diﬃcult AMC 12, which are both 75-minute tests with 25 multiple-choice questions. I was in sixth grade when I first took the AMC 8 and AMC 10 tests. I had taken them just to get a feel for the tests, but to my surprise, I scored in the top five percent, which qualified me for the next level, the American Invitational Mathematics Exam (AIME). Top scorers on this three-hour, 15-question test were then invited to participate in the USA Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO). In seventh grade, I went through the progression of tests again, this time making it to the USAMO. This proof-based test is given over two days; on each day, students have four and a half hours to answer three questions. I made it back to the USAMO in eighth grade and again in ninth grade, that year earning a spot at the Math Olympiad Summer Program. MOP, as participants call it, is an intensive three-week program designed SHUttErStOCk 16 imagine Mar/Apr 2011 http://www.ArtofProblemSolving.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2011

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2011
Contents
Big Picture
In My Own Words
Problem Solving
Orange County Math Circle
Number Theory
Count Me In
National Mathematics Competitions
Math at the Science Fair
Just My Speed
MathPath
When Origami Meets Rocket Science
Selected Opportunities & Resources
Making a Difference
High School Options for Gifted Students
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2011