Math Olympics

The 2010 Math Olympics competition will take place on Friday, March 19, 2010. 

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: March 19, 2010
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 approximately $7.50 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.
  • Schools are responsible for ensuring that students are taking the correct level of examination and should review students' abilities, including transcripts from any prior school attende.
  • 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 Analysis of Results
2009 Level I Level II Level I Level II Both Levels
  2009
2008 Level I Level II Level I Level II Both Levels
  2008
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% to 10% 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

The deadline for registration is March 12, 2010. The registration information is available at a separate page.  

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

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. 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: