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At
left, Daniel Greengard '08, Albert Hill '07 and David Pollack, assistant
professor of mathematics, work through problems, which were part of the
William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition held Dec. 2. |
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| Posted 12.20.06 |
9 Students Compete in National Math Competition
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During a recent mathematics test, which spanned
six hours, Daniel Greengard ’08 believes he only got one question completely
correct out of 12.
But getting only one question correct puts him in the top half of all
test-takers, explains David Pollack, assistant professor of mathematics and
faculty-advisor for the 67th Annual William Lowell Putnam Mathematical
Competition held Dec. 2.
The Putnam exam tests originality and technical competence, and contestants
are expected to be familiar with formal theories embodied in undergraduate
mathematics. All the necessary work to justify an answer and all the
necessary steps of a proof must be shown clearly to obtain full credit.
Greengard was one of nine Wesleyan students who competed in the national
competition. The annual contest began in 1938 and is designed to stimulate a
healthy rivalry in mathematical studies in the colleges and universities of
the United States and Canada.
“Since the Putman problems come from many different areas of mathematics,
occasionally we see a problem that somehow relates to a course that one of
us is taking, but rarely do theorems from the course help,” says Greengard,
a mathematics major who has competed three times. “Only basic knowledge of
math is needed to solve most of the problems. For solving the Putnam
problems, creativity and cleverness are much more helpful than knowledge of
math.”
Although practicing for the test is not necessary, Pollack ran Putnam
practice sessions every Friday afternoon.
“The practice sessions allow the students to work through similar problems
together and share ideas with one another,” Pollack says.
But during the test, they compete as individuals, which involves taking two,
three-hour examinations under the supervision of a mathematics faculty
member. Since the test grading is extensive, results won’t be posted until
April 2007.
Prizes are awarded to the institutions with the five winning teams. The top
three teams receive cash prizes of $15,000 to 25,000. The five highest
ranking individuals are designated Putnam Fellows by the Mathematical
Association of America.
Putnam exam-taker Albert Hill ’07, who is double majoring in mathematics and
music, says most of the problems can be solved without using anything above
linear algebra and multi-variable calculus. He recommends anyone who enjoys
thinking creatively about intricate math problems would enjoy taking the
exam.
“These aren’t problems you find on homework,” Hill says. “These require
multi-level, multi-step thinking and are much more interesting.”
The competition is open only to regularly enrolled undergraduates, in
colleges and universities of the United States and Canada, who have not yet
received a college degree. No individual may participate in the competition
more than four times.
The other students who competed this year include Jacob Goldin '07, Daniel Hore
'07, Surendra Kunwar '10, Jamie Macia '07, Isaac Levy '09, Yudhishthir Kandel
'09 and Nathan Fieldsteel '10.
The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition is administered by The
Mathematical Association of America.
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By Olivia Bartlett, The Wesleyan Connection
editor |
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