Description: In this course, students will explore both new and familiar mathematical concepts through solving engaging mathematical problems. These problems will especially emphasize and demand the process of reasoning and the intuition of new and creative ideas, rather than the repetition of memorized procedures. Thus, students will need to exercise patience, deliberation, and precision in their engagement with the problems. There will be a special emphasis on middle school and upper school mathematical competition problems, and the mathematical subjects taught will include arithmetic, number theory, algebra, and geometry. There will be no satellite work for this class, so all assignments, activities, and review will take place in class.
Competitions: Middle students will compete in the MathCounts competition and Upper school students will compete in the American Mathematics Competitions Program (AMC).
Credits Earned: 1 (for students in grades 9-12). Please note that attendance expectations for this seasonal course to earn the 1 credit is at least 80% attendance. Students whose schedules will result in less than 80% attendance are welcome to enroll and compete in the math competition; however, they will not receive the 1 credit for the course.
Grading: This is a Pass/Fail course. Student grades will be determined by a Weekly Participation Grade.
The math competition space will run weekly on Wednesdays from 3-4 pm. The upper school will finish on Wednesday, November 11th. The middle school will finish on Monday, February 17th this year.