BERKELEY MATH CIRCLE 1998-99
EXPECTATIONS
Students participating in the Berkeley Math Circle are expected to
Attend regularly the weekly sessions.
For our
purposes, we shall keep track of weekly attendance. Although there is
no ``maximum number of allowed absences'', we will expect regular
attendance by all participants.
Review covered material at home and do assigned
problems on a weekly basis.
There is no homework due in
class to be graded. However, the individual work at the home is as
important to the process of learning problem solving, as attending the
actual lectures is.
Participate in one of the Student Presentations.
Plan ahead of time which problem you will present at the
Circle, and practice your presentation skills.
Attempt all problems on the Monthly Contests
and submit solutions by the due date.
It is very important that you
try to solve these problems. Even if you know that you haven't solved
a certain problem, writing down your ideas and work in a legible and
logical fashion clarifies both for you and for the graders where you
might be having difficulties. It is inevitable that some participants
will find some of the problems easier than other participants. But this is
what the Circle is all about -- to learn more Math and to improve
problem solving skills. Thus, ``trying'' and ``participating'' are really
the key words in the purpose of the Monthly Contest.
Participate in the Bay Area Mathematical Olympiad.
BAMO is part of the same project as the Berkeley Math Circle. It is a
contest for high school students with 5 essay-proof style questions
and a 4-hour time limit. The first BAMO will take place on February
23, 1999, and the BAMO award ceremony is scheduled for March 7. For
more information, please contact {\bf Paul Zeitz} or {\bf Hugo
Rossi}. A brochure with sample problems and more information can be
found on the web at {\tt http://www.gunn.palo-alto.ca.us/bamo/}
Participate in AHSME.
The USA Math Olympiad,
USAMO, has two qualifying rounds, AHSME and AIME, which are
essentially multiple-choice. The Berkeley Math Circle is concerned
more with the kind of thinking required for essay-proof problems, but
the AHSME and AIME are necessary to qualify for the USAMO. For more
information, please contact {\bf Dr. Walter E. Mientka}, Executive
Director, American Mathematics Competitions, University of
Nebraska-Lincoln, P.O. Box 81606, Lincoln, NE 68501-1606; tel: (402)
472-2257, e-mail: walter@amc.unl.edu.
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