Putnam Exam
Erin Ferguson
Hello MAA,
The Putnam exam is an annual mathematics competition hosted by the Mathematical Association of America.
All undergraduates who have not taken the exam four times already, qualify. The competition is free to enter. It is held on the first Saturday in December. Contestants attempt two, three hour problem sessions (consisting of six problems each), with a break between for lunch. Scores are awarded out of 120 points possible. Interestingly, as of 2008 only three perfect scores have been realized. These problems are not trivial, and often require a degree of insight.
According to the Putnam website:
"The examination will be constructed to test originality as well as technical competence. It is expected that the contestant will be familiar with the formal theories embodied in undergraduate mathematics. It is assumed that such training, designed for mathematics and physical science majors, will include somewhat more sophisticated mathematical concepts than is the case in minimal courses. Thus the differential equations course is presumed to include some references to qualitative existence theorems and subtleties beyond the routine solution devices. Questions will be included that cut across the bounds of various disciplines, and self-contained questions that do not fit into any of the usual categories may be included. It will be assumed that the contestant has acquired a familiarity with the body of mathematical lore commonly discussed in mathematics clubs or in courses with such titles as “survey of the foundations of mathematics.” It is also expected that the self-contained questions involving elementary concepts from group theory, set theory, graph theory, lattice theory, number theory, and cardinal arithmetic will not be entirely foreign to the contestant’s experience."
Dr. Constanda, the faculty member affiliated with this event, is collecting names of those who want to participate. He would like to send in his list on Friday, 2 October. I realize this is somewhat short notice. Those who are interested are encouraged to email him at christian...@utulsa.edu .
Further questions regarding the exam may be answered by officers of MAA, the Putnam website: http://math.scu.edu/putnam/ , or Dr. Constanda.
Respectfully,
-Graham Baluh
Treasurer MAA