Math Olympics
We finally have the date for 2008 Math Olympics:
*** Next Math Olympics Competition: April 18, 2008 ***
I apologize for the delayed announcement, this year we had many conflicting events, and it was not easy to find a suitable day. I also want to apologize if this date is not convenient for some of you, but we really did not have much choice this year. Hopefully we will have better luck next year.
- General Information
- Fees/Costs
- Event Schedule
- Exam Format
- Exams/Solutions Copies
- Awards/Scoring
- Past Award Winners
- Registration
- Mailing List
- Directions/Parking
- Other Math Competitons
General Information
This annual event, hosted by the Department of Mathematics and SVSU's undergraduate admissions office, generally attracts 500 to 700 area middle school and high school students from 15 to 25 area schools.
| Where: | Saginaw Valley State University |
|---|---|
| When: | April 18, 2008 |
| Who: | Middle School/High School teachers who would like to bring a group of students to an enjoyable, academic event. We currently send information to the following alphabetical list of schools . If you are not currently on the list and would like to be included please e-mail jhlavace(at)svsu.edu your school address and e-mail address of a contact person. |
For further information or questions, please contact:
Jan Hlavacek
Department of Mathematical Sciences
Saginaw Valley State University
7400 Bay Road
University Center, MI 48710
E-mail: jhlavace(at)svsu.edu
Phone: (989) 964-2004
Fees/Costs
There is no entrance fee for the Math Olympics Competition.
Schools are responsible for their own transportation to and from SVSU.
Students should expect to pay $6 - $7 for lunch at RFoC.
Event Schedule
| 9:00 - 9:30 | Registration: Cardinal Gym, Ryder Center |
| 9:30 - 9:45 | Welcome |
| 9:45 - 10:00 | Departure to test sites. Students will be escorted to assigned classrooms. Teachers will be escorted to a lounge area. |
| 10:00 - 11:30 | Math Olympics Competition |
| 11:30 - 12:45 | Lunch: RFoC |
| 12:45 - 1:15 | Awards Ceremony: Cardinal Gym, Ryder Center |
Exam Levels and Format
- Level I Exam: This exam is intended for students whose background includes courses in Algebra and Geometry only.
- Level II Exam: This exam is intended for for students whose background extends beyond Algebra and Geometry. Typically this is intended for students who have had trigonometry and/or pre-calculus and/or calculus. There are no questions that require any calculus techniques.
- There are 25 multiple choice questions and students have 90 minutes to complete the exam.
- No calculators are allowed on the exam. We make sure the exam is not calculation intensive, though some arithmetic and knowledge of common function values is necessary on some problems.
- Copies of past exams and solutions are available (see below)
Past Exams and Solutions (PDF Format)
If you do not have software to read and print PDF files, Adobe Acrobat Reader can be downloaded for free.
| Year | Exams | Solutions (worked) | Answers | ||
| 2008 | Level I | Level II | Level I | Level II | Both Levels |
| 2007 | Level I | Level II | Level I | Level II | Both Levels |
| 2006 | Level I | Level II | Level I | Level II | Both Levels |
| 2005 | Level I | Level II | Level I | Level II** | Both Levels |
| 2004 | Level I | Level II | Level I | Level II | * |
| 2003 | Level I | Level II | Level I | Level II | Both Levels |
| 2002 | Level I | Level II | Level I | Level II | * |
| 2001 | Level I | Level II | Level I | Level II | Both Levels |
| 2000 | Level I | Level II | Level I | Level II* | Both Levels |
| (*) Not Available (**) Solutions Written on an old test version | |||||
Awards/Scoring
Each correct answer of the 25 multiple choice questions counts as 1 point, so the top possible score is 25 and the low is 0.
Individual Awards:
- Medals are awarded to the individuals with the top three scores at each level.
- Honorable mention ribbons are awarded to other high scoring individuals. The number of winners varies depending on the number of participants and the distribution of scores, but generally it results in awards to the top 5% to10% of the individuals at each level.
Team Awards:
- The Level I Team Score is the sum of the top three individuals from a school who take the level I exam. In the case of a tie, fourth and fifth place individual scores are used for tie-breaking purposes.
- The Level II Team Score is the sum of the top three individuals from a school who take the level II exam. In the case of a tie, fourth and fifth place individual scores are used for tie-breaking purposes.
- The Combined Team Score is the sum of the Level I Team Score and the Level II Team Score. In the case of a tie, fourth and fifth place individual scores are used for tie-breaking purposes.
- Plaques are awarded to the top three Level I teams, the top three Level II teams, and the top three Combined teams.
Past Winners
Registration
Thank you for your interest in participating!
The registration procedure consists of two steps.
Initial Registration
In order to obtain a general idea about the number of schools and students participating in the competition, we ask all schools to fill in an initial registration form. This form can be filled in online, or it can be downloaded, filled in and mailed or faxed to us.
Deadline:
We would like to receive these forms by February 22, 2008. The numbers you enter on these forms are used for assigning school teams to classrooms
If you complete the initial registration form, we will send you an email reminder to complete the Final Registration.
Final Registration
To confirm participation, update contact information, and provide a list of students who will be participating.
Deadline: Friday, April 11, 2008
You can register in one of the following two ways:
- On-line registration
- The registration form is available in PDF format. Fill in the form, print it and send to the address below, or fax to the number below. You can also submit the form electronically.
Send you registration forms to
Jan Hlavacek
Department of Mathematical Sciences
Saginaw Valley State University
7400 Bay Road
University Center, MI 48710
e-mail: jhlavace(at)svsu.edu
Fax: 989-790-7638 (attn: Jan Hlavacek)
Changes after registration
Inevitably, some changes will occur between your registration and the day of the event. Please inform us before event day if you can. If you are unable to notify us in advance, then:
- If no changes occur between now and the day of the event, please just check in at the registration table on the day of the event and confirm.
- If a few changes occur that we are not aware of, please inform us on the day of the event at the registration table and we will make the changes.
- If substantial changes need to be made (especially a large increase in the number of students at any level), please bring the above information in writing to the registration table as soon as you arrive.
Mailing List
There is an electronic mailing list for SVSU Math Olympics. If you are interested in receiving announcements and other information about Math Olympics, or in participating in a discussion about topics related to Math Olympics, you can subscribe to this mailing list at the Math-olympics mailing list information page.
Directions and Parking
Driving directions : http://www.svsu.edu/campustour/directions.cfm
Once on campus, the Ryder Center is located just south of the E-lot, which is where bus parking is available. See the campus map at http://www.svsu.edu/campustour/maps.cfm. The Doan Center, where lunch is served, is located near the housing facilities across campus directly west of the Ryder Center.
Other Math Competitions
There are several other math competitons available for students in the area: