New Kensington

Campus hosts American Math Competition for high school students

Penn State New Kensington is the host site for the American Mathematics Competition 12 from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, Feb. 24, in the campus Conference Center.

More than 85 students from high schools in the western Pennsylvania region, including Apollo Ridge, Burrell, Kiski Area, and Valley — are taking the 25-question, 75-minute, multiple-choice examination in secondary school mathematics. The problems are solved with pre-calculus concepts.

David Wells, associate professor of mathematics at the campus, organized the event, and will administer the test. Javier Gomez-Calderon, professor of mathematics, will deliver the keynote address.

An author of two books on AMC contests, Wells is the chair of the Mathematical Association of America's Committee on the American Mathematics Competitions. The committee deals with policy issues involving the contests.

AMC 12 and AMC 10 are administered annually to more than 200,000 high school students to help identify the students with truly exceptional mathematics talent. The main purpose of the competitions is to spur interest in mathematics and to develop talent through solving challenging problems in a timed multiple-choice format. The AMC 10 is restricted to students in grades 10 and below, while the AMC 12 is open to all students through grade 12.

The AMC 12 is one in a series of examinations, followed in the United States by the American Invitational Examination and the USA Mathematical Olympiad, that culminate in participation in the International Mathematical Olympiad, the most prestigious and difficult secondary mathematics examination in the world. Students who are among the very best receive indication of how they stand relative to other students in the country and around the globe.

In addition to organizing national contests, Wells is the director of the Mathematics League, an annual academic competition among the eight local high schools. Sponsored by the StrongLand Chamber of Commerce and held on the New Kensington campus, the league puts the students' math skills to the test by giving them the opportunity to go head-to-head with each other. The questions in algebra, geometry and other areas of mathematics are developed by Wells.

The Kiski School, a college preparatory boarding school in Saltsburg, Pa, captured the 2010 Math League championship Jan. 26.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Mathematical Association of America is a professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. For the Math League results, http://www.nk.psu.edu/Information/News/43070.htm#NEWS43070

For more on AMC, visit http://www.unl.edu/amc/
 

 

Clever and inspiring slogans, such as Valley High School's helps motivate students through the math competitions. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated November 18, 2010

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