Huntington announces winners of mathematics contest
FOR RELEASE: Thursday, April 20, 2006
Huntington, Ind. "The semiannual Huntington University High School Mathematics Competition took place Wednesday, April, 19, 2006, in the Science Hall at the University. Seven area high school teams met to compete for individual and team awards for their demonstration of mathematical ability. The teams included Ayersville High School of Defiance, Ohio; Temple Christian School of Lima, Ohio; Adams Central High School of Monroe, Ind.; Compass Home Schools of Andrews, Ind.; North Miami High School of Denver, Ind.; Hamilton Southeastern High School of Fishers, Ind.; and Southern Wells High School of Poneto, Ind.
This competition was one for the elders as there were no freshmen or sophomore competitors in the regular competition and only six juniors out of 28 team members. After three rounds of competition, the scores were tallied for both team and individual scores. Awards were presented to the top three finishers for both team and individual.
The title of first place team was retained by Hamilton Southeastern High School, the team champions for five consecutive Huntington University math competitions. The students finished with a sizable lead over second place as they racked up a total of 655 points out of a possible 825.
Coming in second for the team competition was Ayersville High School with 540 points. Compass Home Schools dropped one place compared to last fall as they earned third place team honors with a score of 485 points.
All three of these teams were well represented in the individual results of the competition also. The battle for individual champion was once a tight race as this year's winner was determined by a tie-breaker question. The first place finisher and defending champion with 190 points out of a possible 200, was junior Nathan Biberdorf of Compass Home Schools. Brian Thomas, a senior from Hamilton Southeastern also finished with 190 points and second silver medal in as many competitions. Ayersville High School's senior leader Tim Doenges earned an individual bronze for his impressive effort of 175 points.
The mathematics competition is made up of three rounds. The first round is a 20 question written exam comprised of questions from algebra through calculus. Students can earn a total of 100 points for this exam, as well as 100 points for the individual test.
The individual round of the competition is made up of 10 questions. Students are given two minutes to complete each question. Questions answered correctly within the first minute award the student with 10 points while question answered correctly in the second minute receive five points.
The final round, the team round, provides additional points for the team score. Students are provided with a multi-task problem that is best solved through the cooperative efforts of the team. A total of 25 points is possible for the final round. In the case of a tie in the individual competition, an eleventh individual question is handed out to those in the tie. The first competitor to answer the question correctly is deemed the winner of the tie.
Eric Throne, a junior mathematics education major from Stryker, Ohio, coordinated the competition, while Dr. Jeffrey Lehman, associate professor of computer science at Huntington University, provided technological assistance. The goal of the competition is to support and encourage the efforts of students seeking to achieve great things in mathematics.
