Charlotte Mathematics Club
Newsletter, Winter 2007-2008

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
  • Meeting Format & Location
  • Charleston Trip
  • Math Contest News
  • Fundraising & AoPS
  • Service Opportunities
  • Summer Math Experiences
  • Calendar of Related Events
  • Ponder this
  • Thanks!
  • Contacts

  • Spring 2008 CMC Schedule:
    January 19 March 15 (Tournament of Towns)
    February 9 April 26
    February 22-23 (Charleston trip) May 17 (picnic; time/place TBA).

    Format, Time & Place:
    Under our current format, students work in two separate groups: a junior group generally consisting of students in Pre-algebra, Algebra 1, and in some cases Geometry, and a senior group consisting of students in Geometry, Algebra 2, Pre-Calculus and Calculus. We encourage participants to choose the group that best fits their mathematical level.

    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 Geometry or a higher level mathematics course.

    Meetings start at 9:30 and end promptly at 12:30 pm. Parents, please arrange to pick up your student no later than 10 minutes following the end 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 15 years or so, CMC has taken a group of students to Charleston to participate in the College of Charleston Math and Science Weekend. The 2008 "C of C" Weekend is February 22--23. 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 (Sleep Inn-Mt. Pleasant; 843-856-5000) and make our way over to the Friday evening computer programming contest. [Space on the computer team is limited; if interested, contact Stephen Davis as soon as possible.] The math and science competition begins at 8:45 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. Your leaders enforce a nighttime curfew, and participants agree to abide by CMC and hotel rules for personal conduct.

    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. (To keep costs down, we assign three or four students to each room, so some pairs of students may be expected to share a queen-sized bed.) The expenses for the student will be $90 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 $30), and $15 for bowling and/or snacks.

    Signing up: Space is limited and you must pre-register by January 26. [Don't wait that long to inquire about the computer programming competition.] 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.

    Math Contest News:
    Fall AMC->8 results for North Carolina are posted at the American Math Competitions NC website. Don't forget the AMC->10 and AMC->12 contest on February 12 or 27, 2008.

    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 March and April. Locations and dates can be found at the NC State High School Math Contest website

    Fundraising and Art of Problem Solving:
    Buy a CMC t-shirt and support the math club! T-shirts ($10) come in assorted sizes and two colors, and are available at our meetings.

    The Art of Problem Solving Foundation (AoPS; a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation) has accepted the Charlotte Mathematics Club as part of their Local Programs Initiative. This means that donors to AoPS can designate that their donation go to the Charlotte Math Club. (The Foundation's overhead for this service is 5% of the designated contributions.) Follow the link on the CMC homepage to make an online donation to AoPS; remember to enter the Charlotte Math Club as the designated recipient of your donation. Thank you!

    The CMC sells copies of The Art of Problem Solving (Volumes 1 & 2, and solutions; by Sandor Lehoczky and Richard Rusczyk) as a fundraiser, courtesy of a generous donation from Richard Rusczyk. These books are an excellent resource for problem solving skills and practice problems. See the AoPS Bookstore for announcements of other AoPS books, including their new volume, Intermediate Counting & Probability by David Patrick. AoPS also sponsors online classes and forums. Information on current classes can be found on their website.

    Service Opportunities:
    The annual MathCounts Chapter Competition at UNCC will be held on February 19, 2008. The state competition will be held at NCSSM in Durham, NC, on Pi Day, March 14, 2008. MathCounts contests are sponsored by the Professional Engineers of NC, and they are always delighted to have student volunteers to help them out on contest days. If you are in at least the 9th grade and are interested in helping out with an upcoming contest, please let Mrs. Schaeffer know as soon as possible.

    The past few years CMC members have helped out at Discovery Place's Pi Day celebration (March 14) If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Mrs. Schaeffer before our February meeting (February 9).

    Summer Math Experiences:
    What do you have planned for the summer months? There are a number of math and science summer programs for high school students. Many CMC members have attended these programs in past years, and the feedback they have given is very positive, with respect to both the learning experience and the opportunities to meet students with like interests. The deadline for applying for most of these is fast approaching, so don't hesitate to check them out! For an index to summer programs, see the website Summer Math Camps and Programs for High School Students at the American Mathematical Society website.

    Calendar of Related Events:
        Jan 19    CMC meeting
        Feb  9    CMC meeting
        Feb 12    AMC->10 & AMC->12 Contest A
        Feb 19    MathCounts South Piedmont Chapter Competition at UNCC
        Feb 22-23 College of Charleston Math & Science Weekend
        Feb 27    AMC->10 & AMC->12 Contest B
        Mar  3    UNCC Math Contest (State Regional: Alg. 2 & Comprehensive)
        Mar  8    Wylie Mathematics Tournament at Furman
        Mar 15    CMC meeting
        Mar 23    Catawba College Math Contest (State Regional: Alg. 1, Geom.; email)
        Apr  3    Wingate Math Contest (State Regional: Alg. 1, Geom., Alg. 2, & Comprehensive; email)
        Apr 10    Parsons Lecture at UNC-Asheville
        Apr 26    CMC meeting
        May 17    CMC picnic 
    
    
    The Mecklenburg Math Club (MMC) is a group for students of grades 4 through 6. Local teachers and mathematicians lead the students in problem-solving sessions and other interesting math-related activities. This year, the MMC is again participating in the Mathematical Olympiads for Elementary Schools (MOEMS). The MMC-South Chapter will meet at PDS from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on the same dates as our club. Contact Vicky Kaseorg or see the MMC website for more information.

    Ponder this...
    There are 5040 anagrams of (rearrangements of the letters in) "ABCDEFG". If these anagrams were put in a list in alphabetical order (that is, 1: ABCDEFG; 2: ABCDEGF; ...; 5040: GFEDCBA), what anagram would occupy position 2008?

    Thanks!
    Thank you to parents who have helped at our meetings by contributing refreshments or providing other support. We continue to need refreshment donations; if you can help, sign up at a meeting or contact Susan Schaeffer.

    The Charlotte Math Club is also grateful to those that have donated time, space, and funds. PDS has been a gracious host for many years, and we have benefited in the past from the generous contributions of Pepsi Cola (the Halton Foundation), Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), EducAide, Richard Rusczyk, coauthor of The Art of Problem Solving, and other, anonymous, benefactors. Thanks also to supportive parents and other friends of the club. (See the note above about making designated contributions to the CMC via AoPS.)

    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: 704-687-4561 (w)
    704-687-6415 (fax)
    704-364-5699 (h)
    email: hbreiter@email.uncc.edu
    Susan Schaeffer: 704-996-1729 (cell) email: oaktreemath@gmail.com
    Arvo Kaseorg: 704-544-9597 (h) email: arvo@carolina.rr.com
    CMC homepage: http://www.davidson.edu/math/cmc


    Go back to...

  • CMC Spring Schedule
  • Meeting Format & Location
  • Charleston Trip
  • Math Contest News
  • Fundraising & AoPS
  • Service Opportunities
  • Summer Math Experiences
  • Calendar of Related Events
  • Ponder this
  • Thanks!
  • Contacts