On November 11, NDB held the annual AMC Math Contest.
Founded in 1950,the American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) is the preeminent math competition for students K-12. Today, over 300,000 students in 50 states and over 30 countries take the AMC to bolster their confidence and passion for math. For high school students, freshmen and sophomores took AMC10, while juniors and seniors took AMC 12. High scorers may progress to the AIME, Putnam, and USA JMO competitions.
“We encourage our any student that’s in an honors math class or AP math class to take it, just because we feel like it’s kind of good exposure to these top these type of competitions because that we do, like a monthly CML, the California mathematics league lunch contest,” said Math Department Chair Mrs. Walton, “It’s always good to be creative, even in math. Like sometimes people think Maths is not creative, but there are creative ways of doing things”.
Sophie Hu, a student in Precalculus Honors, participated in AMC 10 this year, “I wanted to participate in the AMC because it features complex yet engaging math problems that serve as examples of concepts in the real world. It also gives me some good extra credit…I took my first AMC competition ever today, and it was different from the regular California Math League contests. We were given more than an hour to work on it, and it was multiple-choice. Although I did not prepare, it was cool figuring out the problems with a sufficient amount of time by your side.”
Math competitions are good opportunities for students to improve their problem-solving skills, often requiring a different approach than traditional math. The competitions aim to foster analytical skills and creative problem-solving abilities that are beneficial for future careers. Different from classroom math classes, a math contest focuses on innovation and thinking outside the box.
“They really want you to look for patterns, and then really the patterns of the previous questions on other tests too, but just like patterns in general,” said Walton. On the test, there are a lot of questions about summarizing formulas based on the examples and using them neatly. Students can prepare for the test on YouTube, like the channel Canada Math, which provides formal ways to solve AMC problems. Students are also recommended to study the previous tests or read related books.
The AMC Math Contest provides NDB students with a valuable opportunity to challenge themselves, think creatively, and develop essential problem-solving skills. Through events like this, students not only deepen their understanding of math but also build confidence and resilience that extend far beyond the competition. As NDB continues to foster a love for learning and innovation, the AMC remains a cornerstone in inspiring young mathematicians to reach their full potential.
