7/15/2019 Princeton University Mathematics Competition - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/princeton-university-mathematics-competition-wikipedia-the-free-encyclopedia 1/3

7/3/13 Princeton University Mathematics Competition - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princeton_University_Mathematics_Competition

Princeton University Mathematics CompetitionFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Princeton University Mathematics Competition (PUMaC) is an annual high school mathematics

competition[1] started in 2006. The contest is written, organized, and staffed entirely by Princeton students.[2][3] In

the past, it has been held variously in December, November, and January of the school year. All competitions took

 place on the campus of Princeton University.

Contents

1 Format

2 Difficulty

3 Previous years

4 Mini-events

5 Sponsors

6 Related competitions

7 External links

8 Notes

Format

Teams of eight high school students compete in individual and team events:

The Power Test is distributed by email one week before the competition. It is a proof-based test withstatements all relating to a central topic (for example, the 2010 Power Test was about Graph Theory).

Teams can work together and use any non-living resources. It is due the morning of the competition and

handed in at registration.

Students participate in two individual rounds. Individual tests are offered in four subjects: Algebra,

Geometry, Combinatorics, and Number Theory. Students choose any two out of the four, though only the

top five scores in any subject test count toward the team's score. In previous years, two versions of each

subject test were available: a harder test for Division A students and an easier one f or Division B students.[

The Team Test, like the Power Test, is also a collaborative event. However, it is shorter (on the order of 1

hour) and has numerical answers (as opposed to proofs).

Top-scoring students are invited to participate in the Individual Finals, where finalists are given one hour to

complete three proofs. The proofs are graded (by Princeton students) during the Mini-Events, and results are

announced a few hours later.

On the day of the competition, no calculators or other computational aids are allowed in any part of the

competition. Computers may be used on the Power Test.

ifficulty

7/15/2019 Princeton University Mathematics Competition - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/princeton-university-mathematics-competition-wikipedia-the-free-encyclopedia 2/3

7/3/13 Princeton University Mathematics Competition - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princeton_University_Mathematics_Competition

The Individual tests are designed such that only high school math (not including calculus) is needed to solve all of th

 problems, but finding the solutions requires much more ingenuity than is typically required in a high school

curriculum. Problems are similar in difficulty to those found on the AIME, ARML, and HMMT individual tests. In

the past, Division A students in the top 10 have scored between 20 and 30 points out of 40 on a given subject test

 Notably, in 2010, the all-star A division attracted all of the national championship ARML teams from 2002– 

2010.[5] Since PUMaC went international starting in 2009, teams from as far away as Beijing[6] and Bulgaria[7]

have competed. Since the competition among these teams is very intense, the PUMaC staff organized a B division

designed for local high schools. Only teams consisting of students from a single high school are allowed to compet

in Division B[8] to ensure that the competition can be fun and winnable for non-powerhouse teams as well.

Previous years

The PUMaC website (https://pumac.princeton.edu/info/archives/) contains an archives section with test questions

and solutions from previous years.

Year Date of Competition Director

2013 November 16, 2013 Daniel Kang '15/'16

2012 November 17, 2012 Xinyi Chen '15 and Carl Nist-Lund '15

2011 November 19, 2011 Minh-Tam Trinh '14

2010 November 20, 2010 Sterling Chu '13

2009 November 21, 2009 Arthur Safira '12

2008 January 31, 2009 Adam Hesterberg '11

2007 November 10, 2007 Nathan Savir '09

2006 December 16, 2006 Nathan Savir '09

Mini-events

The mini-events at PUMaC take place in the afternoon, between lunch and the Awards Ceremony. In 2010, three

mini-events were offered:

The Math Bowl, a Quiz bowl-like event where questions are math-related. Question categories included

mental math, identifying famous mathematicians based on achievements or biographical details, questions

about science and technology, and questions involving the history of Princeton. Sixteen teams participated ia single-elimination bracket.

A Rubik's Cube event, where participants competed against each other solving a 3x3x3 cube. The winner 

faced off with former world record holder Shotaro Makisumi '12.

A chess event hosted by the Princeton Chess Club.

Participants were also free to explore campus and the surrounding town on their own.

Sponsors

7/15/2019 Princeton University Mathematics Competition - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/princeton-university-mathematics-competition-wikipedia-the-free-encyclopedia 3/3

7/3/13 Princeton University Mathematics Competition - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princeton_University_Mathematics_Competition

PUMaC 2010 was sponsored by:

Jane Street Capital

Two Sigma Investments

GETCO

Related competitions

The Caltech Harvey Mudd Math Competition

The Duke University Math Meet

The Harvard–MIT Mathematics Tournament

External links

PUMaC (http://pumac.princeton.edu/), official website (PUMaC 2010)

PUMaC 2009 website (http://webscript.princeton.edu/~mathclub/)

PUMaC 2008–09 website(https://cgi.math.princeton.edu/mathclub/index.php/Princeton_Math_Competition_2008)

PUMaC 2007 website

(https://cgi.math.princeton.edu/mathclub/index.php/Princeton_Math_Competition_2007)

PUMaC 2006 website

(https://cgi.math.princeton.edu/mathclub/index.php/Princeton_Math_Competition_2006)

AoPS PUMaC Forum (http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Forum/viewforum.php?f=414)

[1] (http://www.mathzoom.org/contest/other-contests})

Notes

1. ^ http://www.blair.edu/News_Events/2010_2011/news_ev_math_princeton.shtm

2. ^ http://www.northjersey.com/community/announcements/78939357.html

3. ^ http://albanyareamathcircle.blogspot.com/2009/11/congratulations-to-our-pumac-team.html

4. ^ http://math.ncssm.edu/smc/Inform/news.htm

5. ^ http://albanyareamathcircle.blogspot.com/2009/11/congratulations-to-our-pumac-team.html

6. ^ http://albanyareamathcircle.blogspot.com/2010/11/pumac-congratulations.html

7. ^ http://www.basscom.org/BASSCOMNews.aspx?lan=EN&nid=235

8. ^ https://pumac.princeton.edu/info/competition-rules/main-competition/

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?

title=Princeton_University_Mathematics_Competition&oldid=552809245"

Categories: Mathematics competitions Princeton University Recurring events established in 2006

This page was last modified on 30 April 2013 at 00:07.

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply.

By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.