The Mathematics Department at OSU sponsors the following undergraduate mathematics competitions for all students, math majors and non-majors:

• Virginia Tech Regional Mathematics Contest
• William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition
• COMAP Mathematical Contest in Modeling
• Monthly Problem Solving Competition
• Weekly Challenge Problems

See below for details on each contest, including test dates, deadlines for registering, and sample problems. In all cases, the participation will occur here at OSU.

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VTR Math Contest

The 31st Annual Virginia Tech Regional Mathematics Contest will be held on Saturday October 24, 2009 9:00AM to 11:30AM (local time).

Last year 398 undergraduates participated at more than 74 colleges and universities throughout the USA Individuals compete for $750 in cash prizes Past Exams with Solutions (1994-on) are online at: http://www.math.vt.edu/people/plinnell/Vtregional/

This contest serves as a preliminary contest to the annual Putnam Competition held later in December. As such, it is roughly half as long (approximately 6-8 problems) with half as much time (2.5 hrs) and are at a more accessible level to beginning undergraduates. An addition to being good practice, a student's score on the VTRMC will determine placement on the Putnam Team, although VTRMC participation is not required for Putnam participation.

The deadline to register for this year's VTRMC is Oct 16th!

Email Nathan Gibson immediately to sign up.

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Putnam Exam

The 70th Annual William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition will be held on Saturday, December 5, 2009. The morning session will run 8:00AM - 11:00AM followed by the afternoon session 1:00PM - 4:00PM (local time).

Winning individuals earn between $250 and $2500 in cash prizes; winning teams earn between $5000 and $25000 Last year 3640 undergraduates and high school students participated at more than 500 schools throughout the USA and Canada Most participants scored zero out of 120 on 12 problems, to score a single point is an accomplishment! More information is online at: http://www.maa.org/awards/putnam.html or Google putnam exam.

We need to have an accurate head count for this year's Putnam Exam by Thursday Oct 8th at 5PM!

Actual participant names can be changed later, so email Nathan Gibson immediately to sign up if you are at all interested!

See the previous year's top scorers listed on the Math Dept Awards page.

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COMAP MCM

The 10th Annual COMAP Mathematical Contest in Modeling was held February 5--9, 2009.

Teams of three students work on their choice of two interdisciplinary projects over four days Last year over 1000 undergraduates participated at more than 500 schools throughout the WORLD More information is online at: http://www.comap.com/undergraduate/contests/mcm/.

This is an international, team based, undergraduate, mathematical modeling competition. Each team has three students, from any major. Two open-ended, real-world problems will be offered. Teams will choose one problem and write up a thorough solution approach within 4 days. Teams may use any inanimate source of data or materials. Submissions will be judged on the basis of scientific merits as well as clarity and organization of the written report.

The deadline to register will be in January. Contact Nathan Gibson for more information.

See the previous year's winning teams listed on the Math Dept Awards page.

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Monthly Problem Solving Competition

Problems will be posted on the Math Club bulletin board (Kidder 3rd floor) monthly. Solutions should be turned in to the Math Club file folder in the Mathematics Department Office Kidder 368.

The undergraduate student who solves the most problems this year will be nominated to represent OSU at the national competition at MathFest in the summer! Last year's winner was Chris Rathnam who placed 5th at MathFest 2009 in Portland.