Math Department Hosts High School Competition

On Wednesday, Feb. 7, the Department of Mathematical and Computing Sciences hosted high school students from various schools to compete in the American Mathematics Competition (AMC), an exam sponsored by the Mathematical Association of America.

The AMC is a national competition which attracts some of the best math students in the country. Students who do well on the AMC qualify for more contest exams, culminating in the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad.

Dr. Ryan Gantner, who helped organize the events at Fisher, said that demand for participation in the AMC is strong, noting that students travelled from as far away as Utica and Ithaca for the opportunity to participate.

Gantner, an associate professor in the department, led students in fun math activities prior to the start of the exam, which offers two levels: Level 10 (for 10th graders and below) and Level 12 (for all students).

The Level 10 exam contains problems that do not go beyond the level of high school algebra or geometry, while the Level 12 exam includes advanced high school topics such as logarithms, advanced algebra, and pre-calculus concepts.

Fisher also hosted the American Invitational Mathematics Exam on March 6.