Putnam Mathematical Competition

Putnam Mathematical Competition
Name	Putnam Mathematical Competition
Institution	Mathematical Association of America
Award	Elizabeth Lowell Putnam Prize

Contents

Putnam Mathematical Competition. The competition is administered by the Mathematical Association of America and is considered one of the most prestigious mathematics competitions in the world, with winners often going on to become leading researchers at institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and Harvard University. The competition is named after Elizabeth Lowell Putnam, whose husband, George Putnam, was a Harvard University trustee, and is supported by the National Science Foundation and the American Mathematical Society. Many past winners have gone on to become prominent mathematicians, including Andrew Wiles, who solved Fermat's Last Theorem, and Grigori Perelman, who solved the Poincaré conjecture.

Introduction

The competition is designed to test originality, technique, and taste, with problems drawn from a wide range of mathematical topics, including number theory, algebraic geometry, and differential equations. The competition is open to undergraduate students at institutions such as University of California, Berkeley, California Institute of Technology, and University of Chicago, and is typically taken by students who have a strong background in mathematics, such as those who have participated in the International Mathematical Olympiad or the USA Mathematical Talent Search. Many students who participate in the competition go on to pursue graduate studies at top institutions, including Princeton University, University of Oxford, and École Polytechnique. The competition has also been taken by students from other countries, including Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia, and has been supported by organizations such as the Clay Mathematics Institute and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

The competition was established in 1938 by Elizabeth Lowell Putnam and has been held annually since then, with the exception of a few years during World War II. The competition has a long history of producing talented mathematicians, including John Nash, who won the competition in 1947 and went on to win the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1994, and Richard Feynman, who participated in the competition in the 1930s and went on to win the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965. The competition has also been influenced by other mathematical competitions, such as the International Mathematical Olympiad and the USA Mathematical Talent Search, and has been supported by organizations such as the National Academy of Sciences and the American Physical Society. Many past winners have gone on to become leading researchers at institutions such as Institute for Advanced Study, University of Cambridge, and École Normale Supérieure.

The competition consists of two sessions, each lasting three hours, with a total of 12 problems to be solved, drawn from topics such as combinatorics, graph theory, and real analysis. The problems are designed to be challenging and require a deep understanding of mathematical concepts, as well as the ability to think creatively and outside the box, similar to the problems found in the Mathematical Olympiad and the USA Mathematical Talent Search. The competition is typically taken by students at their home institutions, such as University of Michigan, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Georgia Institute of Technology, and is proctored by a faculty member, often with the support of organizations such as the Mathematical Association of America and the American Mathematical Society. Many students who participate in the competition also participate in other mathematical competitions, such as the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition and the Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament.

The scoring system for the competition is based on the number of problems solved correctly, with each problem worth a certain number of points, similar to the scoring system used in the International Mathematical Olympiad and the USA Mathematical Talent Search. The student with the highest total score at the end of the two sessions is declared the winner, and is awarded the Elizabeth Lowell Putnam Prize, which is supported by organizations such as the National Science Foundation and the American Physical Society. The competition also recognizes the top-scoring teams, with the top team receiving the Elizabeth Lowell Putnam Team Prize, and is often sponsored by institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and Harvard University. Many past winners have gone on to pursue careers in mathematics and science, working at institutions such as Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and NASA.

The competition offers several awards and recognition to the top-scoring students, including the Elizabeth Lowell Putnam Prize, which is awarded to the top-scoring student, and the Elizabeth Lowell Putnam Team Prize, which is awarded to the top-scoring team, with support from organizations such as the Mathematical Association of America and the American Mathematical Society. The competition also recognizes the top-scoring students from each institution, with the top-scoring student from each institution receiving a certificate of recognition, often sponsored by institutions such as University of California, Berkeley, California Institute of Technology, and University of Chicago. Many past winners have gone on to receive other prestigious awards, including the Fields Medal, the Abel Prize, and the Nobel Prize in Physics, and have been recognized by organizations such as the National Academy of Sciences and the American Physical Society.

The competition has a long history of producing talented mathematicians, including Andrew Wiles, who won the competition in 1978 and went on to solve Fermat's Last Theorem, and Grigori Perelman, who won the competition in 1986 and went on to solve the Poincaré conjecture. Other notable past winners include John Nash, who won the competition in 1947 and went on to win the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1994, and Richard Feynman, who participated in the competition in the 1930s and went on to win the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965. Many past winners have gone on to become leading researchers at institutions such as Institute for Advanced Study, University of Cambridge, and École Normale Supérieure, and have been supported by organizations such as the Clay Mathematics Institute and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

The competition has had a significant impact on the development of mathematics and science, with many past winners going on to make important contributions to their fields, including number theory, algebraic geometry, and differential equations. The competition has also influenced the development of other mathematical competitions, such as the International Mathematical Olympiad and the USA Mathematical Talent Search, and has been supported by organizations such as the National Science Foundation and the American Mathematical Society. Many students who participate in the competition go on to pursue graduate studies at top institutions, including Princeton University, University of Oxford, and École Polytechnique, and have been recognized by organizations such as the National Academy of Sciences and the American Physical Society. The competition continues to be an important part of the mathematical community, with many institutions, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and Harvard University, supporting and participating in the competition. Category:Mathematics competitions