Charlotte Mathematics Club
Newsletter, Winter 2000-2001

It's mid-year and time to remind ourselves of the many mathematical opportunities coming up. Thanks to all for a great Fall; we look forward to seeing you, first-timers and veterans, in the new year!


Outline:
  • CMC Spring Schedule
  • Charleston Trip
  • Mandelbrot
  • Service Opportunities
  • Math Contest News
  • Calendar of Related Events
  • Ponder this
  • Contacts

  • Spring 2001 CMC Schedule:
    Meeting dates for Spring 2001 are:
    January 20 March 17 (Tournament of Towns)
    February 17 April 28
    February 23-25 (Charleston trip) May 26 (picnic @ Boyce Rd. Park; 10 am - 2:30 pm)

    Format, Time & Place:
    Math club meetings are organized in two parts: a "problem set" time for students to work on a collection of problems, both individually and collectively, and a "team" time, usually combined with a presentation on a more advanced mathematical topic. The problem set portion of the meeting is open to all CMC members, but we recommend the team time portion for motivated students in Algebra I or a higher level mathematics course.

    Meetings start at 9:30 and end promptly at 11:15 or at 12:30 pm, depending upon student level. Parents, please arrange to pick up your student no later than 10 minutes following the end of their portion of the meeting. Unless otherwise noted, our meetings are at Providence Day School (PDS), located at the corner of Rama Rd. and Sardis Rd.

    College of Charleston Math & Science Weekend:

    Note: The CMC policy with respect to all competitions is...

    If your school is attending, you must participate with your school.

    Each year, for the past 10 years or so, CMC has taken a group of students to Charleston to participate in the College of Charleston Math and Science Weekend. The 2001 "C of C" Weekend is February 23--24. We welcome CMC members currently enrolled in high school level (Algebra I and above) mathematics courses to participate with us in this adventure. We drive to Charleston on Friday afternoon to arrive in time to check into our accommodations (the Hampton Inn Riverview in Charleston) and make our way over to the Friday evening computer programming contest. The math and science competition begins at 9 am Saturday with the "Level" tests (there are three levels for students from Algebra through Pre-Calculus and beyond) and continues into mid-afternoon with various team and individual events. Lunch at the college cafeteria is included in the registration. The contest concludes with an awards ceremony at about three o'clock. Following the close of the contest, our group usually explores the Market area of Charleston, and then we go to a good local restaurant for dinner. The evening activity has traditionally been bowling at a local bowling alley. Sunday morning we get up and eat breakfast and then leave for home.

    The club organizes lodging and transportation (by van and/or cars) for members who decide to participate, and pre-pays the registration fees for the contest. To keep costs down, we plan on assigning three students to each hotel room. Your leaders enforce a nighttime curfew, and participants agree to abide by CMC and hotel rules for personal conduct.

    Most rooms at the Hampton Inn have a king-sized bed and a sleep-sofa. We are planning to have three students in each room. Also, the hotel has a complimentary breakfast buffet. Each member who attends the C of C is responsible for paying for his or her own food and incidental expenses, as well as for lodging and a contribution towards gas and other costs that are paid by the club. The expenses for the student will be $70 to cover two nights lodging and a small contribution for gas/other costs. This amount will be due before departure. Also, factor in additional expenses for the cost of meals (about $25), and $10 for bowling and/or snacks.

    Signing up: Space is limited and you must pre-register by January 27. Pre-registering means

    When we know who is coming we will follow up with details on transportation and the necessary release and personal information forms.

    Mandelbrot Competition:
    The Charlotte Mathematics Club is currently participating in the 2000-2001 Mandelbrot Competition. Rounds one and two were in October and December; dates for rounds three and four will be announced soon. All rounds are held at Providence Day School. Susan Schaeffer is organizing our participation this year. If you are interested in participating and haven't so declared, contact Mrs. Schaeffer soon!

    Service Opportunities:
    The annual MathCounts Chapter Competition at UNCC will be held on February 3, 2001. The contest is sponsored by the Professional Engineers of NC, but they are always delighted to have student volunteers to help them out on contest day from about 8 or 9 am until early afternoon. If you are in at least the 9th grade and are interested in helping out with the upcoming contest, please let Mrs. Schaeffer know as soon as possible.

    The Mecklenburg Math Club can always use student helpers. Check out the MMC info below for meeting dates and times. For more information call Michelle L. Burgess at 704-687-3507 (UNCC).

    Stay tuned for opportunities to participate in Discovery Place's Pi Day celebration on March 14.

    Math Contest News:
    For AMC->8 NC results, check the American Math Competitions NC website.

    Don't forget the AMC->10 and AMC->12 contest on February 13.

    The preliminary rounds for the Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and Comprehensive levels of the NC State Mathematics contest will be held at various sites in NC during February, March and April. Locations and dates can be found at the NC State High School Math Contest website.

    Calendar of Related Events:
        Jan 15    CMC meeting
        Feb  3    MathCounts South Piedmont Chapter Competition at UNCC
        Feb 13    AMC->10 & AMC->12
        Feb 17    CMC meeting
        Feb 23-25 College of Charleston Math & Science Weekend
        Mar  5    UNCC Math Contest (State Regional: Alg. 2 & Comprehensive)
        Mar 10    Wylie Mathematics Tournament at Furman
        Mar 14    Pi Day at Discovery Place 
        Mar 17    CMC meeting 
        Mar 24    MathCounts State competition
        Mar 31    Wake Forest Math Contest (State Regional: Alg. 1, Geom., Alg. 2)
        Apr  3    Wingate Math Contest (State Regional: Alg. 1, Geom., Alg. 2, & Comprehensive)
        Apr 25    Clanton Lecture at Furman
        Apr 26    NC State Contest Comprehensive Finals (NCSSM)
        Apr 28    CMC meeting
        May  5    NC State Contest Alg. 1, Geom., Alg. 2 Regional Finals (UNC-A, UNC-G)
        May 26    CMC picnic (10 am - 2:30 pm, Boyce Road Park)
    
    
    The Mecklenburg Math Club (MMC) is a group for students of grades 4 through 6. Meeting dates for the MMC during Spring 2001 are: Jan. 6, Feb. 3, Mar. 3, Mar. 24 and May 12. Meeting time is 9:30-noon on these dates. The club meets at the Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy, 9100 Olmstead Drive, Charlotte, NC. The school is located in the University area just off US 29 (the former location of the Montessori School). The school's telephone number is 503-1112. For more information about the MMC, call Michelle L. Burgess, UNC-Charlotte, 687-3507 (work). This year, the MMC is again participating in the Math Olympiad for Elementary Schools. If you have younger siblings, tell them about the MMC. The MMC now has a web site: http://www.math.uncc.edu/~hbreiter/clubs/mmc.htm.

    Ponder this...

    Alice and Bob have the following conversation:      
         Alice: I forgot how old your three kids are.
    Bob: The product of their ages is 36.
    Alice: I still don't know their ages.
    Bob: The sum of their ages is the same as your house number.
    Alice: Is that all the help I get? It should be obvious to you that I still cannot tell their ages.
    Bob: The one older than the rest has red hair.
    Alice: Now I know their ages!
    How old are the three kids?

    Contacts:
    The CMC Coordinating Committee (CMC3?)...
    Stephen Davis: 704-894-2343 (w)
    704-894-2005 (fax)
    704-892-1394 (h)
    email: stdavis@davidson.edu
    Harold Reiter: 704-547-4561 (w)
    704-510-6415 (fax)
    704-364-5699 (h)
    email: hbreiter@email.uncc.edu
    Susan Schaeffer: 704-552-2869 (h) email: susans@conninc.com
    CMC homepage: http://www.davidson.edu/math/cmc.html

    Go back to...

  • CMC Spring Schedule
  • Charleston Trip
  • Mandelbrot
  • Service Opportunities
  • Math Contest News
  • Calendar of Related Events
  • Ponder this
  • Contacts