Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival

We have reached the maximum number of registered students. Registration for the 2008 Julia Robinson Mathematics Festivals is now closed. Thanks to both Google and Pixar for agreeing to host our 2008 Festivals. If you're not planning to attend our events this year, or if the event you want has filled up, please sign up for our mailing list for future events.

Problem Solving Challenge

Thanks to those of you who participated in the first round of our problem solving challenge. An introductory set of warm-up problems should work well to help you generate interest in the topic at your school. Download them and have fun spending a lunch or math club session working on them. Instructions for participating in round 2 are also available, and I hope you will download and enjoy From Pythagoras to Fermat, our current set of challenge problems.

The focus of the Julia Robinson Problem Solving Challenge is a set of longer, more in depth problems. These can be done by individual students or by teams of up to four students working together. You can read the rules and download the problems and get to work on them starting now! The warmup problems are a good introduction to thinking about these more challenging problems, of course.

Solutions to the round 1 problems are due (postmarked or emailed, see detailed instructions in the rules) by January 31. They will be graded during February and results will be announced in late February. Round 2 will begin in February with papers due in early April, with results announced and prizes awarded at the Festivals in May.

Volunteers

We are looking for volunteers who can help us organize at the festival sites, work mathematically with students at the festivals, grade papers from the challenge, and/or write problems for these events. If you're interested in becoming a volunteer in any of those categories, please sign up by email!

Thank you,
Joshua Zucker
Director, Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival