Dear ,
A very happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! We're very thankful for the interest and support we've received over the past month, and for the many conversations concerning the Upstate New York Math Team's return.
The problem squad has grown (welcome Brendan Caseria!) and you'll find the December problems (and November solutions) below. We're excited to have received a special math challenge problem from Professor Mukkai Krishnamoorthy of the Albany Area Math Circle, that you'll find featured below.
We still have a lot of work ahead of usto make it to ARML at the end of May 2020. Please look through our wishlist below and get in touch if you can help.
Thanks again for being part of this effort.
– Japheth Wood
Problems of the Month - December
Prepared by The Problem Squad (Matthew Babbitt and Brendan Caseria)
Each month we offer a set of problems to help you prepare for ARML. We'll send you the solutions a month later. If you solve a problem and want to share your solution, please email us!
We hope you enjoy these challenge and learn some unexpected mathematics in the process. Solve these with your team or on your own!
December 2019 Problems
November 2019 Solutions
November 2019 Problems
Please let us know how you are using these problems to prepare yourself or your team for ARML. We'd love to share your ideas around Upstate NY!
Did you know that ARML expects your solution to be in a particular format?
Please read the ARML conventions here: ARML Conventions
Bonus Problem of the Month - December
Submitted by Professor Mukkai Krishnamoorthy, Albany Area Math Circle
Solve for x (as a closed form expression. You may use logarithms, radicals, as well as algebraic numbers).
12x + 9x = 16x
(Adapted from IIT Entrance Examination)
Have you a math problem that you'd like to share? Send an email to Matthew Babbitt! Include the problem, an answer, and a full solution to your problem.
Meet the
Problem Squad
Matthew Babbitt has been involved in math contests for over half of his life, competing in MATHCOUNTS, national Olympiads, and is a five-time Upstate New York ARML veteran. His career includes two MOSP qualifications, and honorable mentions at the Asian Pacific Math Olympiad and the collegiate Putnam competition. He earned his Bachelors in Mathematics from MIT in 2018, and is now a mathematics Ph.D. student at the University of Texas at Dallas. Matthew also has an extensive teaching background, starting as a teaching and residential assistant at AwesomeMath in 2013, and is now a permanent instructor at the summer program. He is excited for this opportunity to foster the Upstate New York math community, and is looking forward to working with the next generation of New York mathematicians!
Brendan Caseria attended Benet Academy is Lisle, IL, and graduated in 2013. While at Benet, he participated in the ARML competition as part of the Chicago team in 2012 and 2013. Brendan moved on to The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), where he graduated with a Bachelor’s in Mathematics in 2017, followed by a Master’s in Statistics in 2019. During his time at UTD, he participated in the Putnam competition, scoring in the top 5% of students, and eventually became the assistant coach for the team in the fall of 2017. He also started as a staff member with the AwesomeMath Summer Program (AMSP) in 2014, first as a residential assistant and then as a teaching assistant. He is now a mathematics lecturer at Cornell University, and will be an instructor for AMSP in the summer of 2020. He is very excited to be a part of the revival of the Upstate New York ARML team, and looks forward to working with this group of wonderful students and teachers!
What is ARML?
The first ARML was in 1976, and was created out of the popularity and success of NYSML, the New York State Math League.
The American Regions Math League is an annual math competition that takes place on the first Saturday after Memorial Day. Teams of fifteen students (in grades 12 and below) compete in this day-long, multi-format event. There are four ARML sites across the USA, the closest being at Penn State. Considered by many as the "World Series of Math Competitions", ARML offers motivated students excellent exposure to math enrichment topics like Algebra, Combinatorics, Geometry and Number Theory, and camaraderie with math-loving peers across the region.
There has not been an Upstate NY Math Team at ARML for about five years, so re-establishing this tradition will re-invigorate the math education of Upstate NY students who are curious about math and in search of deeper mathematical challenges.
We need a logo. Can you help?
Perhaps you can start with this silhouette.
Preparing for ARML
Each month we provide a set of Practice Problems, prepared by our Problem Squad. Practice problems offer a variety of challenges that will enhance your problem solving ability. Some problems may require you to read up on particular topics, but you might also learn from putting in your best effort, and also reading our solutions.
We'd like to start monthly practices across Upstate New York, starting in January (tentatively January 18, so save the date). Please get in touch if you can host, or if you'd like to run a practice. We will announce practices in our next newsletter.
Math contests like ARML are a nice motivation to learn interesting and elegant mathematics. We recommend practicing with old contests, in either a timed or non-timed context, with your team or on your own. Discuss the problems! You can also learn math and prepare for ARML by reading math books, participating in math circles, and in math summer programs. Try our math problems of the month!
Upcoming Contests
To learn what ARML is like, and to be prepared, we recommend looking into other contests in the meantime. Here's a short list of upcoming math contest opportunities nearby. Some are free, but most charge a reasonable fee or request a donation.
Purple Comet (Online). This team-based competition can be done wherever and whenever teams meet, and is held April 21–30, 2020.
CMIMC (Travel). Held in Pittsburgh PA at Carnegie Mellon University, this competition seems to be a bit closer for those on the western side of New York. Contest date: February 1, 2020.
HMMT Online Tournament. This is an unofficial version of the HMMT February tournament, and so if students are unable to participate at the in-place event, they can simulate the rounds at home (or with their team).
SBIMC. The South Brooklyn Invitational Math Competition is a gentle ARML-style contest.
NYSML coaches have been invited to host/participate in NYSMLSeasonal competitions. These local contests include the NYSMLFall (November 16, 2019–December 8, 2019) and the NYSMLWinter (February 24, 2020–March 8, 2020) events. If you know of a NYSMLSeasonal event, please let us spread the word!