High Schoolers to Flex Their Minds in 20th Annual Mathematics Contest

There will be no calculators, but numbers will be flying as nearly 100 students from 10 public and private high schools in Southern California converge at Westmont for a battle of mathematical brains. The 20th annual High School Mathematics Contest, Saturday, Feb. 11, will feature several different events, including the quiz-show-style-competition, College Bowl.

The contest also includes a Chalk Talk Derby, where students are required to communicate mathematical ideas. Each student will prepare and deliver a 10-minute talk on this year’s topic, “Polyhedra.”

Team cooperation, speed and accuracy are taken to the limit in the Leap Frog competition. Each student is given a question envelope. The student in the first chair solves the question and the solution then becomes part of the question for the student in the second chair.

This year Westmont is welcoming students from Cate School, Crescenta Valley High School, Dos Pueblos High School, Oaks Christian School, San Marcos High School, Santa Barbara Family Schools, Santa Barbara High School, Santa Ynez High School, Thacher School, and The Anacapa School.

Preliminary competitions begin at 1 p.m. at various locations and finals will get under way beginning at 4 p.m. Dinner and an awards ceremony will be at 5:20 p.m. in the Kerr Student Center.

A contest itinerary, map, sample questions and photos from past events can be found at www.westmont.edu/departments/mcs/mathcontest/index.html