Pizza and Problem Solving at PCMI
Problem Solving at Harvey Mudd College
At Harvey Mudd College we run a variety
of seminars oriented towards problem solving:
- The Harvey Mudd
College Putnam Resource Page is a collection of links, pictures
and resources skewed towards HMC's Putnam program
- Putnam Classic - This is
a seminar aimed at college underclassmen, and is certainly suitable for
freshmen. Typically, I give a short lecture on a subject, such as
induction, and then hand out a slate of problems. students work
in
small groups, and forty-five minutes later pizza arrives, and students
present their problems. Here is a problem
set on induction and the latex source
file. Here are some pictures from the HMC Putnam Seminar.
- Putnam TNG - This is a more advanced seminar
("TNG" stands for the "The Next Generation" -- a reference familiar to
the trekkies among you) oriented around exclusively Putnam
problems. Problems are handed out each week and the students are
expected to have worked at least one problem and to be ready to present
it in class. We again group problems by subject. Here is a sample problem set and the latex source file.
- Problem Solving Seminar - In
this seminar we solve problems out of the various college math journals
(see below); students tend to work for multiple weeks on a problems,
and
learn to use online resources, library resources, and programs such as
MAPLE and MATLAB. Here is a sample solution
and the latex source file.
College Mathematics Journals with Problem Sections
- Math
Horizons (MAA) is a magazine aimed at undergraduates with a
very accessible problem section.
- Mathematics
Magazine (MAA) is an expository journal of undergraduate
mathematics, with an a good problem section for the undergraduate.
- The College
Mathematics Journal (MAA) provides lively, well-motivated
articles that can enrich undergraduate instruction and enhance
classroom
learning.
- The American
Mathematical Monthly publishes articles about mathematics and the
profession. Its readers span a broad spectrum of mathematical
interests,
and include professional mathematicians as well as students of
mathematics at all collegiate levels. The problem section is quite
challenging, and often contains unsolved problems.
Online Mathematical Resources
Putnam and other Math Competition Sites
- Macalester Problem of the
Week - Great and offbeat problems due to Stan Wagon and
friends !!!
- Official Putnam
Site - The official rules, regulations, and results of the
competition.
- AMC
Putnam Archive- An extensive archive of recent Putnam problems,
solutions, and statistics.
- Information about and problems from other mathematics contests
(USAMO,IMO, etc.) can be found
here.
Some Useful Problem Books
Putnam level and some easier problems grouped by subject:
Collections of elementary problems appropriate for freshmen:
Collection of Putnam probems:
Collections of Putnam level problems:
A classic on problem solving strategies: