William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition

This annual competition, open only to undergraduates, is held in early December. More than 2000 students from over 400 colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada take part in this, the best known and most prestigious mathematics competition in America. The test consists of 12 mathematics problems (each worth 10 points) in which the emphasis is less on knowing a vast amount of mathematics and more on seeing through to the heart of a problem. In 1997, there were over 2,400 contestants in the U.S. and Canada. Fewer than 5% received scores of 43 or higher; and a median score was less than 10 points out of a possible 120.

All students with interests in the mathematical sciences are strongly encouraged to participate. The problem-solving skills developed through practicing for and participating in the competition should prove useful both in course work and in later life. Credit for preparing for and participating in the competition is available through Mathematics H90 (Honors Undergraduate Seminar in Mathematical Problem-Solving) which is offered every fall semester. Students wishing further information should contact the instructor of the course.

Further information is available at the official site for the competition: http://www.maa.org/awards/putnam.html

Information for Berkeley students who wish to participate in the 2007 competition can be found here:
http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~wkahan/MathH90