Princeton Math Competition 2008

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Latest Updates
  • Look here later for information about next year's PUMaC.
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  • Results are posted here!


Contents

Results

The results are up here! Although only the top scores are listed, congratulations to everyone who participated!


Tests

The tests and solutions are here. Thanks to Problem Tsars Nathan Savir, Erick Knight, Ian Frankel, and others.

Competition Overview

The 2008-9 Princeton University Mathematics Competition (PUMaC) took place on Saturday, January 31, 2009.

The competition is designed for and open to all students under 20 years old and not currently enrolled in college (e.g. high school students, home-schooled students, and even younger students with high mathematical ability).

The competition comprises a power test given one week in advance, a team test, two individual tests per student, and an optional math bowl.

Teams that cannot travel to Princeton can register for the Power Test alone. All of the information on this page is about the on-site PUMaC event. See the Power Test 2008 page for details about the separate Power Test competition.

This competition focuses heavily on teamwork. A full team comprises 8 students, but we accept registrations of half-teams of 4 students. We try to combine half-teams into full teams. Schools or other organizations may send multiple teams; however, the third and later teams from any school/organization will not have a guaranteed spot at the competition until other teams are registered.


Test Information and Format

There are four subject areas for the individual test. Each participant takes two of these subject area tests. The subject areas are Algebra, Geometry, Number Theory, and Combinatorics. Each test consists of 10 questions of varying difficulty, and is one hour long.

The team test is similar in format to the individual tests, but there is only one test covering all subject areas. Since all 8 people work together on this test, it is, of course, much more challenging than an individual test. The team test consists of approximately 10 questions of varying difficulty, and is one hour long.

The power test presents an interesting definition or advanced concept to the contestants, and they are required to prove several results relating to this topic. One week before the competition (January 24, 2009), we e-mail the advisers with an electronic (PDF) copy of the power test.

The math bowl is an optional, fast-paced team competition.

The day concludes with individual finals for top scoring contestants on the individual test, and an awards ceremony for the top contestants.

Official Competition Rules

The official rules can be found here.

Registration Schedule

Regular Registration: By Friday, November 14th, 2008 (teams must be registered electronically (here) in the database by this date to receive the regular registration rate.)

Late Registration/Payment: By Friday, December 12th, 2008 (teams must be registered electronically in the database and ALL CHECKS MUST BE POSTMARKED BY THIS DATE) Teams that have not paid by this date risk forfeiting their place in the competition.

No teams can be added to the competition after Friday, January 23rd, 2009.

Registration Fees

Regular Registration: $10 per student

Late Registration: $15 per student

Send payments to the address provided below.

Please read the Registration Guidelines and Official Competition Rules carefully before registering online (2008 registration page, no longer valid).

Sponsors

The Princeton Math Competition would not be possible if not for our generous sponsors. Please take a moment to read about the people who help make this great opportunity available for you.

Contact Information

Please write to:

Princeton University Math Club
303 Fine Hall, Washington Road, Princeton University
Princeton NJ 08544-1000 USA
Attn: Dona Vukson

If you have any questions regarding the contest, please contact our Public Relations Officer, Tiffany Liu, at

pumac@math.princeton.edu

Alternatively, you can reach our PUMaC Director, Adam Hesterberg, at

ahesterb@princeton.edu


Other Competition Pages

PUMaC 2009 -- Main Page || Rules

PUMaC 2008 -- Main Page || Rules || Tests || Results

PUMaC 2007 -- Main Page

PUMaC 2006 -- Main Page


Schedule for Day of Competition

It is important to note that until information can be finalized, the schedule below is tentative.

Time Activity Notes
7:00AM-9:00AM Registration
9:00AM-9:15AM Meet With Proctor Teams meet with their proctor in McCosh 50 and then go to their assigned classrooms.
9:15AM-11:15PM Individual Tests Each session of each individual test will last one hour.
11:30AM-12:30AM Team Test Teams will take the power test in the same rooms as their team test.
12:30PM-2:00PM Lunch will be provided to students and team leaders. Courtyard north of Frist
1:00PM-2:00PM Individual Finals
2:00PM-3:45PM Math Bowl McCosh
3:45PM-4:45PM Awards Ceremony McCosh 50.
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