2006 Summary

174 Pages·2007·5.25 MB·English

The Mathematical Association of America
AMericAn MATheMATics coMpeTiTions
2006
22nd Annual
MAA AMC 8
Summary of Results and Awards
Learning Mathematics
Through Selective Problem Solving
Examinations prepared by a subcommittee of the American Mathematics Competitions and
administered by the office of the Director
The
American Mathematics
competitions
are sponsored by
The Mathematical Association of America
and The Akamai Foundation
Contributors:
American Mathematical Association of Two Year colleges
American Mathematical society
American society of pension Actuaries
American statistical Association
Art of problem solving
Awesome Math
canada/UsA Mathcamp
canada/UsA Mathpath
casualty Actuarial society
clay Mathematics institute
institute for operations research and the Management sciences
L. G. Balfour company
Mu Alpha Theta
national Assessment & Testing
national council of Teachers of Mathematics
pedagoguery software inc.
pi Mu epsilon
society of Actuaries
U.s.A. Math Talent search
W. h. Freeman and company
Wolfram research inc.
Table Of COnTenTs
2006 IMO Team with their medals ...................................................................2
Report of the Director ..........................................................................................3
I. Introduction ....................................................................................................3
II. General Results .............................................................................................3
III. Statistical Analysis of Results ........................................................................4
Table  - School & Student Registrations & Averages .....................................4
Table 2 - Participation & Average Score by Grade Levels .................................4
IV. School Plaque/Nameplates ...........................................................................4
V. 2006 State Top Student Plaque .....................................................................5
VI. Area of Participation ....................................................................................5
VII. Date and Format of the 2007 AMC 8 ........................................................5
VIII. Acknowledgement.....................................................................................6
Janet Sylvester ...................................................................................................6
IX. State Directors, Sponsors, Donors and Committees .....................................6
X. Documentary Film - USAMO and IMO ......................................................7
XI. Contributions of the University of Nebraska ................................................7
XII. Final Comments .........................................................................................7
Regions of the aMC 8..........................................................................................8
Message from the aMC 8 Chair ...........................................................................9
Message from the CaMC Chair .........................................................................10
sliffe awards for Distinguished Mathematics Teaching in the Middle school ....11
2006 AMC 8 Edyth May Sliffe Award Winners ................................................2
Current & Former Sliffe Winners Attending Reception ......................................15
2005 Sliffe Winners Attending Reception ........................................................15
2006 Sliffe Awards Reception, Miscellaneous Pictures........................................16
american Mathematics Contest 10 and american Mathematics Contest 12 .......17
aMC Committees ..............................................................................................18
American Mathematics Contest 8 Examination Committee .............................8
Committee on the American Mathematics Competitions .................................8
CAMC Executive Committee ...........................................................................8
Advisory Panel ..................................................................................................9
state Directors aMC 8 .......................................................................................21
sponsors and Donors .........................................................................................22
Sponsors ...........................................................................................................22
Contributors .....................................................................................................22
MAA AMC Office ..........................................................................................22
school Honor Roll .............................................................................................23
United States ....................................................................................................23
International ...................................................................................................27
school Merit Roll ...............................................................................................29
United States ....................................................................................................29
International .....................................................................................................35
Scanning the answer forms. .............................................................................36
Perfect scores .....................................................................................................37
United States ....................................................................................................37
International Students ......................................................................................43
student achievement Roll .................................................................................48
United States ....................................................................................................48
Missouri State Awards for 2005-2006 .............................................................55
International .....................................................................................................56
Distinguished Honor Roll ..................................................................................60
United States ....................................................................................................60

Table of Contents continued
AMC affiliates gather at the Winter Joint Math Meetings in New Orleans. ........73
International .....................................................................................................74
Late Participation .............................................................................................88
Affiliated Middle School to Jilin University .....................................................88
Honor Roll .........................................................................................................89
United States ....................................................................................................89
International ...................................................................................................32
Late Participation ...........................................................................................53
Item Difficulty .................................................................................................154
Table 3 ............................................................................................................54
Graph 3 ..........................................................................................................55
Results by Gender, 2006 aMC 8 ......................................................................156
Table 4 ............................................................................................................56
Graph 4 ..........................................................................................................57
Results by Grade level .....................................................................................158
Table 5 ............................................................................................................58
Graph 5 ..........................................................................................................59
score Comparison between 2005 and 2006 .....................................................160
Table 6 .............................................................................................................160
Graph 6 ..........................................................................................................6
Rank listings ...................................................................................................162
Table 7 - Schools by State/Province/Country ..................................................62
Table 8 - Student Enrollment by State/Province/Country ...............................62
Index ................................................................................................................163
2007 aMC 8 school Registration-nov. 13, 2007 ...........................................................169
2006 IMO Team with their medals
from left: Alex Saltman (deputy leader), Ryan Ko, Zuming Feng (Leader), Zach Abel, Yi Sun,
Steven Dunbar (AMC Director), Alex Zhai, Arnav Tripathy and Zeb Brady.
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RePORT Of THe DIReCTOR
I. InTroduCTIon
I am pleased to announce that over 47,000 students from
more than 2,200 schools participated in the 2006 AMC 8
contest. Many dedicated mathematics teachers provided an
opportunity for students to participate in this national exam,
and the Committee created an exam which was both “exciting
and challenging”. A hearty thanks to all of you for continuing to recognize
the fact that the AMC 8 plays a complementary role in support of the junior
high/middle school mathematics curriculum.
II. General resulTs
This summary includes a listing of the results and awards associated with
the 22nd annual AMC 8, which was held on Tuesday, November 4, 2006.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE 2007 AMC 8 WILL BE HELD ON TUESDAY,
NOVEMBER 3th.
From the responses received from many of the contest managers, it is evident
that the examination was once again well received by the students and teach-
ers.
A comparison of the 2006 statistics shows that this year’s contest was compa-
rable to the 2005. A total of 293 perfect scores were recorded (79 in 2005)
while the national average moved to 0.4 (9.835 in 2005). The AMC 8
Committee is in its final stage of preparation of the 2007 exam and I expect
it to be similar to the 2006 edition. The one notable change will be a “No
Calculator” rule for the AMC 8, AMC 0 and AMC 2 contests next school
year. A four-year statistical comparison of results is given in Section III.
We sincerely hope that your school administrators will continue to support
your future requests for funds to enable your students to participate in this
academic activity which is consistent with the standards set by the National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
On behalf of the AMC 8 committee, I express my appreciation to all of the
school contest managers and their associated teachers, school counselors and
administrators for providing an opportunity for their students to participate
in the 2006 AMC 8. I particularly would like to express my gratitude to those
teachers who personally paid the fees associated with the contest. Their dedica-
tion to the profession is certainly noteworthy and beyond the call of duty.
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report of the director continued
III. sTaTIsTICal analysIs of resulTs
a fOUR YeaR COMPaRIsOn
Please note that the word “recorded” used throughout this section should be interpreted
as indicating that the results are based on only the items that were mark-sensed by the
students. Some of the students failed to mark items such as their grade or gender.
Table 1 - school & student registrations & averages
2006 2005 2004 2003 2002
Registered schools 2,269 2,629 2,70 2,396 2,493
Registered students 69,650 72,380 84,270 83,830 88,530
Schools sending in results 2,235 2,504 2,628 2,737 2,390
Answer forms received 47,20 43,428 54,590 58,309 57,778
Recorded female participants 68,45 67,655 73,647 75,574 75,880
Recorded male participants 76,283 73,275 78,265 80,00 78,825
Average Top Score 8.08 7.5 7.42 8.32
Average of all participants 0.4 9.835 9.94 0.27 .09
Average of female participants 9.6 9.32 9.47 9.72 0.47
Average of male participants 0.64 0.34 0.4 0.79 .68
Perfect papers 293 79 50 92 26
Table 2 - Participation & average score by Grade levels
Participation by Recorded Grade Levels
GRaDe 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001
4 & 5 ,853 2,04 ,496 ,553 ,560 ,736
6 6,639 4,268 5,248 5,44 4,707 4,70
7 48,479 48,48 5,679 53,70 53,804 58,27
8 78,038 76,877 84,399 86,542 85,35 93,090
Average Score by Recorded Grade Levels
Grade 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001
4 & 5 8.2 8.05 8.5 7.62 7.76 6.73
6 8.5 8.6 8.5 8.58 9.3 8.28
7 9.82 9.37 9.55 9.77 0.59 9.49
8 0.75 0.52 0.48 0.93 .79 0.66
There were a total of 3,72 school winners at 2,249 schools, and the follow-
ing number of certificates were sent to schools: Gold – 9,238, Silver- ,827,
Bronze- 4,96. While the AMC 8 is primarily intramural, the national results
make some comparison at that level viable, but the examination, which has no
established norms, is comparable to neither classroom nor placement tests.
IV. sChool Plaque/namePlaTes
The AMC 8 School Winner Plaque is a beautiful 9”x2” plaque with space for
2 engraved name plates with the names of your year-by-year school winners.
Teachers who gave the AMC 8 (then known as the AJHSME) in the 980’s
and 990’s will remember the AMC provided an initial plaque and a school
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report of the director continued
winner plate each year to schools participating in the AMC 8. Comments
from teachers told us you missed having this recognition program for your
math scholars. In your AMC 8 report from December 2006 you will find
the web address that will allow you to order directly from our supplier. The
AMC pays for the initial plaque and engraved name plate in the first year and
the annual engraved plates in subsequent years.
V. 2006 sTaTe ToP sTudenT Plaque
This year we are presenting 174 Top Student Plaque awards. This plaque is awarded
to the top scoring student in each state, all of the U.S. Territories and schools abroad,
and Canada. This student award program that began in 1991 will continue to be
presented on an annual basis. You will note, this Summary contains photos of some
of last year’s awardees.
VI. area of ParTICIPaTIon
Participation in the AMC 8 extends beyond the USA. Registrations were
received from 5 APO/FPO Schools (Junior High or Middle Schools as-
sociated with U.S. military bases abroad), American schools associated with
U.S. Embassies, U.S. Territories (Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands),
Canadian, and foreign schools (including a group of 67 schools from Taiwan,
39 Canadian schools, 26 from Singapore and 40 other international schools),
for a total of 4,557 students. Recognition is hereby given to those teachers
abroad who have provided on opportunity for their students to participate in
the AMC 8. A complete list of participating schools from foreign countries and
U.S. territories is found in this summary. We are grateful to the Department
of Defense for providing the financial support which enabled the students in
its dependent schools to participate in the AMC 8.
VII. daTe and formaT of The 2007 amC 8
The date of the 2007 AMC 8 is Tuesday, November 3th. The exam will again
be a 40 minute, twenty-five question, multiple-choice contest. The scoring
procedure will be the same as in 2006: one point will be given for each correct
answer. Registration materials will be mailed to schools during the months of
May, September, and October. If you wish to register now, a 2007 Registration
Form has been included in this Summary on Page 69. We hope that your Flag for a page number
school will participate again in the 2007 AMC 8.
Completion of your registration as early as possible is always appreciated.
Contest materials will be mailed in October and early November, so there is
ample time for planning and completion of pre-contest activities. We would
be most grateful if you would encourage neighboring schools to participate
in the AMC 8.
The National Association of Secondary School Principals will continue to place
the AMC 8 on its advisory list of contests and activities for 2007-2008.
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report of the director continued
VIII. aCknowledGemenT
We are fortunate to have dedicated staff members who fulfill the responsibilities
associated with the entire examination process in a timely and efficient manner.
One can imagine all of the expected and unexpected duties and operations
which must be completed during the examination year. AMC staff members
include Donita Bowers, Marsha Conley, Rachelle Jensen, Linda McCormick,
RuthAnn Royer, Sawsan Mohamed, Kay Michael and Elizabeth Price. Our
University student helpers are Gabe Smith and Nikki Bohl. I welcome this
opportunity to commend their excellent work.
On November 25, 2006 AMC Registration Clerk Janet Sylvester died sud-
denly and unexpectedly. Janet had been employed at the AMC office since
January 200, and her good spirit, ready laugh, efficiency and readiness to do
whatever was needed at the AMC office will be missed.
Janet Sylvester
IX. sTaTe dIreCTors, sPonsors, donors and
CommITTees
In this summary you will find a current list of the AMC 8 State Directors,
sponsors, donors, members of the Committee on the American Mathematics
Competitions (CAMC), and AMC 8 committee. In addition, the members
of the American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) Panel are listed, and they
are hereby recognized for submitting and reviewing potential problems for
the examinations of the AMC. The work of the State Directors is significant
6
report of the director continued
to the success of the AMC 8. They send follow-up mailings and attend state
mathematics meetings to give talks about the examination in order to encourage
more schools to participate. The Directors and Panelists receive no financial
compensation for their work. The CAMC recognizes these individuals for their
outstanding dedication to the profession of mathematics educators.
Special recognition is given for the work of the AMC 8 and CAMC committee
members. They devote considerable time, under the direction of Bonnie Leitch
(AMC 8 Chair) and Elgin Johnston (CAMC Chair), reviewing examination
policy, proposing problems, and developing the examination. The contribu-
tions of our sponsors and donors are hereby recognized. The significance of
the examination is greatly enhanced by their continued support.
X. doCumenTary fIlm - usamo and Imo
MAA President-Elect Joe Gallian secured a grant from Larry Penn, who was on
the US Math Olympiad Team in the late 970s, to fund a documentary film
about the students in the USAMO, and the USA team at the 2006 International
Math Olympiad. Larry Penn is now a partner in the investment firm Ellington
Management Group. The film will be similar to the book “Count Down” and
the film “Spellbound”. The director is George Csicsery. He produced an award
winning film on the mathematician Paul Erdos and is working on a film about
the American mathematician Julia Robinson. As of this writing, filming at the
USAMO awards ceremony and the IMO is complete, and post-production
has begun. We expect to see the finished film in late 2007.
XI. ConTrIbuTIons of The unIVersITy of nebraska
The AMC office has been located at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln since
970. For the past 36 years the University has made significant contributions
in support of the American Mathematics Competitions including providing
utilities, office space, and the use of university facilities.
XII. fInal CommenTs
I welcome and appreciate your comments regarding this Summary and the
procedures associated with the AMC 8.
steven dunbar, director
The Mathematical Association of America American Mathematics Competitions
University of Nebraska - Lincoln, 1740 Vine Street
Lincoln, NE 68588—0658
P: 800/527-3690 F: 402/472-6087 eM: [email protected]
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ReGIOns Of THe aMC 8
Listed below are the eleven regions of the U.S.A. and Canada.
REGION
0 Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, Vermont
 New Jersey, New York
2 Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia
3 Alabama, American Embassy and APO/FPO schools, Florida, Georgia,
Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
4 Indiana, Michigan, Ohio
5 Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Okla-
homa, South Dakota, Wisconsin
6 Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee
7 Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas
8 Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada,
New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming
9 California
0 Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, New-
foundland & Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut,
Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Skatchewan, and Yukon)
8