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Parker Mathletes Tackle the American Mathematics Competition
For the fourth year in a row, Upper School students participated in the American Mathematics Competition. We have been excited to see the number of students participating in this national contest has increase, with 38 students representing all four Upper School grades this year!
For 75 minutes, the students used their skills in problem solving, deduction and computation to answer the 25 multiple choice questions. As written in the AMC teachers’ manual: “The Mathematical Association of America’s American Mathematics Competitions program leads the nation in strengthening the mathematical capabilities of the next generation of problem-solvers...[and] positively impacts the analytical skills needed for future careers in an innovative society.” We are thrilled to have so many enthusiastic mathematicians competing this year!
Try a few of the challenging problems our students attempted below:
How many ways can a student schedule 3 mathematics courses-algebra, geometry and number theory-in a 6 period day if no two math courses can be taken in consecutive periods?
A) 3 B) 6 C) 12 D) 18 E) 24
Joe has 23 coins, consisting of 5-cent coins, 10-cent coins and 25-cent coins. He has 3 more 10-cent coins than 5-cent coins, and the total value of his collection is 320 cents. How many more 25-cent coins does Joe have than 5-cent coins?
A) 0 B) 1 C) 2 D) 3 E) 4
Which of the following describes the set of values of a for which the curves x^2 + y^2 = a^2 and y = x^2 - a in the real xy-plane intersect at exactly 3 points?
Francis W. Parker School educates students to think and act with empathy, courage and clarity as responsible citizens and leaders in a diverse democratic society and global community.