Mathematical Problem Solving Correspondence Program in NSW

MaPS Correspondence Program offers talented high students a support in developing their problem solving skills. During the program we will go through a number of methods and tricks to crack challenging mathematical problems and some other fascinating out of curriculum mathematical topics. The program will make students better prepared for various mathematical competitions like AIMO and the Tournament of Towns.

What is it about

The program starts in Week 3 of Term 1, mid February and finishes in Term 3, mid September.

In Terms 1 - 3, four times a term, a set of notes on a topic and a problem set with 5 questions will be released. Every participant is expected to read through the notes and then submit a fair attempt to the problems.

The program will be offered in three streams: Junior, Senior and Research. Junior is an entry level stream which should be accessible by brighter high school students, but its level is still higher that most of the Mathematics taught at school. It is followed by more advanced Senior stream. Research stream focuses on research rather than problem solving. It allows participants to feel a flavour of how does the research at the university look like. It is offered to students who have completed the previous two streams.

Every participant will be given a mentor who will give supportive feedback and a score for each question attempted.

There will be a forum where all participants can ask questions, communicate with their peers or with the program staff.

Once a term, a face to face session will be organised at the University of Sydney where participants can meet up. At these sessions we will run ice-breakers, have talks from university lecturers/students on some modern mathematics, interesting maths topics/problems and other mathematical activities.

In Term 3, the program will culminate with the Australian Intermediate Mathematical Olympiad (AIMO), where every participant is encouraged to participate.

In Term 4, every program participant will have an opportunity to take part in the Mathematical Talk Showcase. The groups of 4 - 6 students will undertake a mathematical research project and at the end of the term will present their findings at the showcase. A qualified jury will then select the best talk and the corresponding team will receive small prizes.

Program fees

The cost of running such a program is not insignificant, and while the School of Maths and Stats, the University of Sydney and Australian Mathematics Trust will be supporting it, we ask attendees to pay a small contribution each term, whatever you are comfortable with. The base rate is $50 per student per term, but other options are available. Students who are not able to make this contribution are asked to contact the Program Director to discuss possible workarounds.

Important: the contribution amount will be kept strictly confidential and does not affect what activities the student can participate in, or how the student will be treated, in any way.

Registration

Registration is now closed. It will be open before the start of each School term.

Frequently asked questions

I am a teacher. What is required from me?
Almost nothing. The whole program is administered by our staff. You will have an opportunity to track your students' performance if you want to.
If you have a talented student who wants to learn some out of curriculum Mathematics, you may recommend them to this program by emailing the Program Director.
If you receive an invitation for one of your student from us, we kindly ask you to forward it to them.

How to get an invitation for the program?
There are two pathways:

• Some of the students are invited based on their results in the past AIMO and AMC competitions.
• A number of places are reserved for teachers' recommendations.

If you are passionate about maths and want to participate in this program, ask your teacher to contact MAPS.program@maths.usyd.edu.au and write a couple of sentences supporting your passion towards Mathematics. Since the number of places is limited, that will help us to select the right students for the program.

Students of what age can participate?
Most of the participants are in Years 8 - 10. In exceptional cases we can invite younger students. But we need to be sure that they can cope with the program material.

How much time will this program require from me?
We expect that students will spend 3-4 hours per fortnight on this program so that they can read through the notes and then submit a fair attempt to the problems. According to the previous years surveys, this time depends on students' engagement and interest and can range between 2 and 14 hours per fortnight.

I can not solve all the problems. Maybe I am not good enough for this program?
Not at all! The problems are designed in such a way that students of various levels can benefit from the program. Each problem set usually starts with some easy problems but towards the end some of them may become very tricky and challenging. The marks you receive from your mentor indicate how much you would receive for those problems in a real competition. And quite often in real competitions half marks may deserve a medal.

Are partial solutions accepted?
Yes, and moreover they are encouraged! We encourage you to submit any progress you have made on a problem. More you write, more feedback you get.

Have more questions?
For any information regarding the Correspondence Program, please contact MAPS.program@maths.usyd.edu.au.