April 24, 2003 Feature Story
Utah
State Math Students + Putnam Exam = Success
 This
past December, six students from Utah State University participated
in the Putnam mathematical exam, which may be the most prestigious
and hardest math test in the world as reported by Time magazine.
This year there were 476 schools that competed, and a total
of 3,349 individuals. Utah State's team did exceptionally well,
placing 46th overall, said Chris Coray, this years coach for
Utah State's Putnam team and math professor at Utah State. This
year's team competition was won by Harvard.
For the past 63 years, on the first Saturday in December, the
grueling six-hour exam is held. This exam gives the brightest
and most brilliant undergraduate math students in the world
an opportunity to compete against more than 3,000 other students
from across the United States and Canada.
 Utah
State students who participated were Eric Widdison, who placed
246th in the individual competition, Nate Jeppson, Karen Perry,
Brian Gleason, Robert Berry and Serge Ballif. All six competitors
finished in the top half of all the scores.
The exam consists of only 12 questions, yet takes six hours
to complete. That is if the students, who are often considered
mathematical geniuses, can complete it, said Coray.
There are a total of 120 possible points on the exam. However,
after all the scores were tallied up, the median score was only
one point and the most common score was zero, said Coray.
The Putnam exam not only requires an advanced understanding
of mathematics, but it demands that you be innovative and think
creatively, said Coray. It can be very hard on a fragile ego.
Having a math ACT score of 36 doesn't mean anything. Students
who score in the top half on the Putnam are near geniuses, he
concluded.
"Questions on the exam are so difficult that the students
often don't even know how to begin to solve them," said
Coray. "This is a really, really hard test. Utah State's
success with the Putnam is evidence of very intelligent students
combined with a very powerful undergraduate program."
So how hard is this exam? Below is a sample question from this
year's test. Take a crack at it just for kicks.
Shanille O'Keal shoots free throws on a basketball court. She
hits the first and misses the second, and thereafter the probability
that she hits the next shot is equal to the proportion of shots
she has hit so far. What is the probability she hits exactly
50 of her first 100 shots?
"All mathematicians take this exam very seriously,"
said Coray. "It's like the superbowl for undergraduate
math students."
Each school prepares to take on the Putnam challenge differently.
At Utah State, students who plan to participate in the exam
practice solving problems from old exams. The students are supervised
by their coach, practicing every week throughout the semester
prior to the exam. However, "students literally practice
all their lives preparing for this test," said Coray.
"The results of this year's exam demonstrate academic
excellence and learning at Utah State; these guys (and girl)
are very good," Coray said, referring to Utah State's Putnam
team.
Brigham Young University did well, finishing in 91st place.
The University of Utah also competed in this year's Putnam exam,
however their score has not been released.
Utah State has high hopes for its future in the Putnam exam,
said Coray. Although individuals can only take the exam four
times in their life, four of the students who were on this year's
team will be able to represent Utah State again next year.
Writer: Debra Crowther, 797-1350, debraann@cc.usu.edu
Contact: Chris Coray, 797-2861, coray@math.usu.edu
utah state today/archives/April
2003/archives
prior to Sept 2002/
Brought
to you by Utah State University Public Relations and Marketing |