Annual Mathematics Competition

The seventh Bluffton University Mathematics Competition for high school students will be held Saturday, November 1, 2008, in conjunction with Bluffton's Family Weekend. High-school age siblings of Bluffton students are welcome, but ANY high school student can come for this event. More details about this event will be posted in fall 2008. (The details below are for the 2007 contest.)

The sixth contest was held Saturday, November 3, 2007, and had a record 94 participants.

Past contests (these files are in PDF format; you will need Acrobat Reader to view them): 2002, 2003 (solutions), 2004 (solutions), 2005 (answers), 2006 (solutions), 2007 (solutions).

 

Note that there is no charge for this event; everything (including lunch) is free.

 
 

Each high school may bring any number of students (within reason, noting that registration will be limited to the first 100 students). Refreshments and activities provided for teachers, but students do not need to be accompanied by a teacher.

Registration Deadline: Monday, October 29. To register or request more information, contact Duane Bollenbacher via e-mail or telephone (419-358-3296), or fill out the online registration form below.

 

Test format: The test includes high school mathematics topics through precalculus. All questions are "short answer" (not multiple choice).

Part I: NO Calculator
Section A: 7 questions—1 pt each
Section B: 5 questions—2 pts each
Section C: 3 questions—3 pts each
Part II: Calculators NEEDED (any calculator allowed)
Section A: 7 questions—1 pt each
Section B: 5 questions—2 pts each
Section C: 3 questions—3 pts each
To break ties: Starting with Part I (and proceeding into Part II if needed), whoever misses the earliest problem is eliminated.

 

Cash Prizes

  • $40 each to top two scores overall
  • $20 and $15 to first and second seniors
  • $20 and $15 to first and second juniors
  • $20 and $15 to first and second sophomore/first year
  • $10 each to 7th through 15th place

Note: Cash prizes are not added together. If, for example, a senior has the top score overall, then she or he will receive $40, and the second place senior will receive $15 (unless he or she had the second-place score overall).

 

Additionally, test scores of seniors considering Bluffton University may be used to award Bluffton University scholarships. Scholarship awards will be offered by January 2008.

 

Note: The online registration form has been a bit unreliable. While we think we've finally gotten all the bugs worked out, it would be a good idea to include your e-mail address so we can confirm that we received your registration. (If your online submission fails, you should receive a notification telling you so ... but even that has been a bit quirky.) If you have trouble with this form, please send the information via e-mail.
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