MSJ takes 2nd at Stanford Math Tournament

Zerg Rush was one of the two teams from MSJ’s Math Club that entered the 2010 Stanford Mathematics Tournament on February 28. This all-day competition was composed of four subject tests (algebra, geometry, advanced topics, and calculus), a general test, and two team tests. The team placed second, with several members placing in individual rounds. Zerg Rush is composed of eighth-grader Lewis Chen, Freshman Matthew Jin, Sophomores Jonathan Chen, Michael Choi, Merry Mou, and Juniors Bowei Liu, Carl Gao, and Eugene Choi. This worldwide competition attracted math enthusiasts from as far as Beijing to participate, as well as the New Jersey team that won.

The Power Contest, a 50-minute, proof-oriented question on Ramsey numbers, was the first team test, in which Zerg Rush won first place. In the second team test, Saratoga Red, of Saratoga High School, tied with Zerg Rush for second place. Eighth grader Lewis Chen placed first in two categories, with a full score in Advanced Topics and the highest score in Geometry. Junior Bowei Liu was the only one who got six out of ten problems correct in the Calculus topic test, placing first. Liu also placed fourth, with one incorrect problem, in Algebra, and Sophomore Michael Choi placed seventh in Geometry. In between rounds, the team played card games, including Hearts and Napoleon.

In the afternoon, a Stanford faculty member gave a presentation on multi-dimensional tic-tac-toe. Tiebreakers of timed questions then proceeded to determine the top places of the individual contests. The day ended with awards of trophies, medals, and math books. Junior Carl Gao recounted, “The Stanford math tournament was a great experience. The day of mathematics and teamwork was challenging yet enjoyable, and the lecture was very interesting and complex. We also took advantage of the opportunity to socialize with like-minded math lovers from faraway places. And all our efforts in the tests culminated in our second-place medal, of which we are very proud.”

Written by Mary Lan
Mar 19, 2010 at 01:22 PM