MANITOBA MATHLETICS
U of M Mathletics teams & training page
Still getting some elements here set up for 2019.  Stay tuned

 2019 UMOMC COMPETITION PAPER
Closed.  Solutions should appear here eventually

Mathletics Training Seminars Fall 2019:
Tuesdays 5:30 - 7:00 PM
MH 500A
Nourishment (generally pizza) provided at no cost to you

for further info
Email
R. Craigen, D. Gunderson or K. Gunderson

HALL OF FAME

Congratulations to Jimmy Pa, our 2019 Winner (2nd place: Jaehyeong Yang)
Oct 29 note:  We have STILL not awarded the first place cash and
book prize to the truant winner, Jimmy Pa.   Are you out there Jimmy?
Do you want your prize?  You've got to attend a session to receive your award!

Congratulations to Max Gutkin, our 2018 Winner (2nd place: Marshall Kaatz)
Congratulations to Yuxiang Hu, our 2017 Winner (2nd place: Nicola Millman)
Congratulations to Kyle Monkman, our 2016 Winner (2nd place: Yuxiang Hu)
Congratulations to - you guessed it -
Suraj Srinivasan, our 2015 Winner
(2nd place: Kyle Monkman)

Congratulations to Suraj Srinivasan, our 2014 Winner (yes, again)
Congratulations to Suraj Srinivasan, our 2013 Winner (again) 
Congratulations to Suraj Srinivasan, our 2012 Winner
Congratulations to Kevin Mather, our 2011 Winner
Congratulations to Mak Ka Tsun, our 2010 Winner

Congratulations to Todd Sierens, our 2009 Winner
Congratulations to Richard Liu, our 2008 Winner

PAST UMOMC PAPERS and SOLUTIONS

Information for Mathletes at the University of Manitoba. 
For broader information about contests and training in Manitoba see the Manitoba Mathletics Page.

Mathletics has been an activity of choice at the University of Manitoba for a very long time.  Our mathletes have a history of winning many of the top academic honours here, and going on to illustrious careers in many fields (not all of them math-related; the skills particularly well honed by this discipline -- abstraction, rigour, discernment, logic, creative problem solving -- are in demand in many other fields).  Mathletes come in many forms:  Some are math students, but some of our better mathletes are Engineering, Pre-Med or Science majors.  Some are pursuing careers in the Arts and Social Sciences.  Some are proud of being stereotypical "Math Geeks" but many of the best are also polymaths, with diverse interests.  In Manitoba schools, possibly because of some prevailing local ethos, there is a high confluence of athletic and/or musical talent with excellence in mathletics.

Feel free to drop in on us or contact us at any time regarding this activity!

Coaching staffRob Craigen     Karen Gunderson    Dave Gunderson

2019 Fall  Training
Tuesdays 5:30-7:00 PM MH 500A
FREE* Pizza served (incl. a no-meat option)

*courtesy of department of mathematics
See box outside MH 523 for hard copies & other information


                    Special Dates

                    Sept 10      UMOMC release
                    Sept 17      UMOMC Solutions due (5:30 PM)
                    Nov 16       NCS/MAA Team competition (NOTE:  NOT Nov 9 as originally announced!)
                    Dec 7         Putnam competition
                    Dec 10       Putnam debriefing



                    2019 Schedule and handouts

                    (sorry the handouts are not yet all online here)

                    Sept 10        Warm-up problems: Rob: Tools I
                    Sept 17        (start) UMOMC solutions;  Dave's Tools document
                    Sept 24       
(more) UMOMC solutions; Dave: More from the above doc
                    Oct 1           
Announcement of UMOMC winners; Andriy: Inequalities I
                    Oct 8            Varvara:  Inequalities II

                    Oct 15          Putnam Registration Deadline; Rob: Tools II (Jensen's inequality and homogeneity)
                    Oct 22         Dave:  Tools for polynomials
                    Oct 29         Rob:  Practice contest: 2010 NCS/MAA Game-Show style team competition
                    Nov 6          Dave: Pigeonhole Principle methods and problem types
Game-Show style team competition
                    Nov 13        Regular training session despite Fall Break:
Game-Show style team competition
                    Nov 16        NCS/MAA Team competition

                    Nov 27        TBA

                    Dec 3           TBA
                    Dec 7           Putnam competition
                    Dec 10         Putnam debriefing
, Fall wrap-up, Christmas party


TO GET INVOLVED email any of the coaches:
Rob Craigen (523 Machray Hall)  Dave Gunderson (521 Machray Hall -- on leave Fall 2016)  
Karen Gunderson (433 Machray Hall)


Always attempt current problem sets on your own -- you get LITTLE out of merely watching others solve them.
But seeing others' solutions in conjunction with having attempted problems yourself is a good way to leverage your efforts and maximize your development of skills

PAST UMOMC Contests,  Solutions

2017 UMOMC
2016 UMOMC
2015 UMOMC
2014 UMOMC (no solutions in file)
2013 UMOMC
2012 UMOMC
2011 UMOMC
2010 UMOMC
2009 UMOMC
2007 UMOMC
2005 UMOMC

2016 PRACTICE PROBLEMS (Archived)

2016 Problem Set #1
2016 Problem Set #2 ( = 2009 NCS contest.  We also handed out the 2010 NCS contest with solutions)
2016 Problem Set #3 ("Number Theory and Cases" and also an Appendix ("set 2") with a few more problems, and HINTS)
2016 Problem Set #4
2016 Problem Set #5
2006 PRACTISE PROBLEMS (Archived)

Practise Problem Set #1 Yes, this was the 2005 CMO (a high-level Canadian High School contest)
Practise Problem Set #2
Practise Problem Set #3
Practise Problem Set #4
Practise Problem Set #5

2005 NCS All-Day practise problems (with solutions)


UM Putnam and NCS/MAA contest HALL OF FAME
(to be updated!)


What I (R. Craigen) know about the prehistory of mathletics at U of M (not much -- if you know more send me a note!):

When I arrived in 1999 U of M students had not participated in Mathletics for a few years (nobody has ever clarified how many). 

Those with a history here:  Please add to my meagre knowledge ... !

Since then, here's how we've done:

1999:
Putnam team rank: 80th
Top ranking UM student: Mark Wiebe (203rd)
UM teams with top 10 NCS/MAA rankings:
    UM1:  Matthew Greenberg, Mark Wiebe, Kurt Thompson (2nd)
 
2000:
Putnam team rank: 121st
Top ranking UM student: Craig Kasper (245th)
UM teams with top 10 NCS/MAA rankings:
    UM 2Geeks&aNerd:  Mark Wiebe, Kurt Thompson, Dan Nielson (4th)
    UM Crablegs:  Tim Nikkel, Delene Matula, Evan Janzen Roth (10th)

2001:
Putnam team rank:  69th
Top ranking UM student:  Matthew Hasselfield (494th)
UM teams with top 10 NCS/MAA rankings:
    UM TBA:  Xi Wang, Matthew Hasselfield, Tim Nikkel (tie for 2nd/3rd)
    UM MetricallySpaced:  Roger Woodford, Nick Harland, Dan Potter (4th)

2002:
Putnam team rank: 23rd
Top ranking UM student:  Matthew Hasselfield (111th)
UM teams with top 10 NCS/MAA rankings:
    UM DuckDuckGauss:  Tim Nikkel, Matthew Hasselfield, Xi Wang (tie for 2nd/3rd)
    UM Metrically Spaced:  Nick Harland, Roger Woodford, Stephanie Richards (tie for 2nd/3rd)

2003:
Putnam team rank:  N/A
Top ranking UM student: Karen Johannson (641st)
UM teams with top 10 NCS/MAA rankings:
    UM InsertNameHere:  Mike deDenus, Gabriel Faucher, Anh Le (5th)
    UM BarsbyBunch:  Mike Lipnowski, Will Guest, David Liu (tie for 6th/7th)
    UM CompactTorus:  Karen Johannson, Tim Nikkel, Mercedes Scott (10th)

2004:
Putnam team rank:  66th
Top ranking UM student:  Trevor Wares (778th)
UM teams with top 10 NCS/MAA rankings:
    UM Shire:  Trevor Wares, Will Guest, Anh Le (3rd)

2005:
Putnam team rank: N/A
Top ranking UM student:   Will Guest (483rd)
UM teams with top 10 NCS/MAA rankings:
    UM Pi Ladies:  Trevor Wares, Anh Le, Ed Knapp (4th)
    UM BecauseWeSaidSo:  Will Guest, Jonathan Lee, Michael Himbeault (6th)

2006:
Putnam team rank: 51st
Top ranking UM student:   Will Guest & Trevor Wares (tie, 747th)
UM teams with top 10 NCS/MAA rankings:  none ("Team X" ranked 12th)

2007
Putnam team rank:  150th
Top ranking UM student:   Ruiqiong Liu (503rd)
UM teams with top 10 NCS/MAA rankings
    UM CJ:  Ruiqiong Liu, Garrett Klus (8th)

2008:
UMOMC Winner:  Ruiqiong (Richard) Liu
Putnam team rank:  71st
Top ranking UM student:   Garrett Klus (619th)
UM teams with top 10 NCS/MAA rankings:  none  ("UManitobaTeamA" ranked 17th)

2009:
UMOMC Winner:  Todd Sierens
Putnam team rank: 85th (out of 546)
Top ranking UM student:  Liji Huang & Yuchen Mu (tied at 892nd)
UM teams with top 10 NCS/MAA rankings:
    UManA: Liji Huang, Yuchen Mu and Duy Nguyen (9th)

2010:
UMOMC Winner:  Mak Ka Tsun
Putnam team rank:  (N/A)
Top ranking UM student:  (N/A)
UM teams with top 10 NCS/MAA rankings:  none (top team:  26th)

2011:
UMOMC Winner:  Kevin Mather
Putnam team rank:  (N/A)
Top ranking UM student:  Suraj Srinivasan
UM teams with top 10 NCS/MAA rankings:  none (two teams in top 20)

2012:
UMOMC Winner:  Suraj Srinivasan
Putnam team rank:  86th
Top ranking UM student:  Gidon Bookatz (870th)
UM teams with top 10 NCS/MAA rankings
    UManitoba A: Byung Heon Cho, Suraj Srinivasan, Meng Wang (4th)

2013:
UMOMC Winner:  Suraj Srinivasan
Putnam team rank:  114th
Top ranking UM student:  Tie: Suraj Srinivasan, Gidon Bookatz (597th)
UM teams with top 10 NCS/MAA rankings
    UM Team A: Gidon Bookatz, Patrick Naylor, Suraj Srinivasan (7th)

2014:
UMOMC Winner:  Suraj Srinivasan
Putnam team rank:  34th
Top ranking UM student:  Suraj Srinivasan (200th) -- Gidon Bookatz and Kyle Monkman also both placed in top 1000
UM teams with top 10 NCS/MAA rankings:  none (top team: 17th)

2015:
UMOMC Winner:  Suraj Srinivasan
Putnam team rank:  93rd
Top ranking UM student:  Gidon Bookatz (188th) -- Kyle Monkman, Shaun McDonald and Max Hughson also placed in top 1000
UM teams with top 10 NCS/MAA rankings:  none (top team: 13th)

2016:
UMOMC Winner:  Kyle Monkman
Putnam team rank:  95th
Top ranking UM student:  Yuxiang Hu (975th)
UM teams with top 10 NCS/MAA rankings:  none (top team: 21st)

2017:
UMOMC Winner:  Yuchiang Hu
Putnam team rank:  72nd
Top ranking UM student:  Tie:  Nicola Millman (823rd)
UM teams with top 10 NCS/MAA rankings:  none (top team: 26th)

2018:
UMOMC Winner:  TBA
Putnam team rank:  TBA
Top ranking UM student:  TBA
UM teams with top 10 NCS/MAA rankings:  TBA

CONTEXT OF RANKINGS: 
-    Generally there are about 400-500 institutions competing in the Putnam, so top 100 ranking ≈ top 20%. 
-    "N/A" generally means one or more of the 3 students preselected for our Putnam team obtained a score of 0. 
       Other team members and students we hadn't selected for the team may still have done quite well.
-    There are about 4000 individual participants in the Putnam exam, so a rank in the first 1000 means top 25% (out of an already select group!). 
-    70-100 teams participate each year in the NCS/MAA contest.


SOME THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

First, never memorize a mathematical tool without:
Second, practice!  A "natural" problem solver will do moderately well without much preparation, but nobody will distinguish themselves without preparing and working on problems for months in advance to become familiar with problem types and tools, and to keep one's brain "in the groove".  At our practice sessions we provide tools and experiences that have proven to be most effective in preparation.  A musician may be good but cannot play the sonata without many hours of scales and arpeggios; an athlete may be a backyard jock but won't shine in varsity athletics without running drills all season with their teammates.  In the same way a mathlete may be naturally "good" but will not distinguish themselves without deliberately laying a foundation of basics and honing their skills.

Third, your brain is not separate from your body.  Eat well; get plenty of sleep -- especially before competitions -- and exercise; manage the stress in your life; maintain a positive attitude, approach each question with confidence, and enjoy your mathletics activities.

Fourth, don't get discouraged; don't give up.  While math per se isn't as hard as it's reputed to be, the competition questions you will face at this level include some which are selected to be deucedly difficult.  You shouldn't have overly high expectations for yourself; there is no shame in not solving everything (or even more than a few problems!).  Take every small victory as a sign of progress and don't beat up on yourself.   We tell people to try to solve everything but realistically most students will get 0 on the Putnam in their first year  And frankly, those of us coaching can't solve everything in these contests -- you must gauge your success relatively.  ANY success is praiseworthy.  Getting 0 is nothing to be ashamed about, and really means nothing -- the best sometimes draw a blank in this activity.  But getting a decent score from time to time, that MEANS SOMETHING; that won't happen by accident.  When you fail, get up again, dust yourself off, and try another one.  When stuck on a problem don't get into a negative mental spiral, but keep attacking the problem from every angle you can think of.  As you'll eventually learn most contest problems have a "secret door" and once you find it, you will find the problem (relatively) easy.  They are designed to discourage you initially.  Don't let that happen!

Some outside links to fundamental tools (come to the weekly practise for help with these and much more!)

Jensen's Inequality  (NOTE:  Possibly the most powerful and versatile inequality. Learn to master all the ideas in it:  convexity, means, etc.)
Pick's Theorem   (A crazy fact about polygons with vertices on the integer lattice.  It is subtlely behind many contest problems -- learn to recognize it even when it is masked)
Cauchy-Schwartz Inequality  (Absolutely fundamental)
AM-GM inequality (You can't get along in contests without at least this.)
Inclusion-Exclusion
Fermat's Little Theorem (and Gauss' Generalization)
Modular arithmetic and various standard tricks with it
Viete's relations (between the roots of a polynomial and its coefficients) -- and how they are exploited
The pigeonhole principle  (Simple yet versatile.  More profound than it sounds at first)
Power of an inside/outside point  (Makes light work of many geometry problems!)
Heron's formula for the area of a triangle  (An old formula for the area of a triangle; a good thing to know for triangle problems)
Basic properties of matrix determinants  (Knowing some of these solves nasty-looking problems with a light touch).

...email me some additions/links for this list...


This page is maintained by Dr. R. Craigen of the  University of Manitoba Mathematics Department
 and is continually under Construction.  Comments, requests and suggestions welcome.