MATHCOUNTS

Did you know today is ? It’s the perfect day to reconnect with friends from your MATHCOUNTS days. Take a moment to reach out to your old classmates or coaches, or meet other former Mathletes through our MATHCOUNTS Alumni Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/mathcountsalumni/

Register for the MATHCOUNTS Competition Series by Nov. 1 to get Early Bird discounted rates! Registering your school early saves money, plus you'll get access to awesome coach resources even sooner. mathcounts.org/reg

This month's Alumni Chat features former Texas Mathlete Justin Yu! Justin won the Classic Tetris World Championship in 2023 and is the second person in history to "beat" the game. He is now a senior at MIT. Read more at mathcounts.org/alumnichats!

This week is ! Coding is a useful (and fun!) skill that anyone can learn to do. Many of our own Mathletes have accomplished amazing things in computer programming. Have you built anything cool recently? Tell us about it in the comments!

“Unlike easy vs. difficult, welcoming and challenging aren’t opposites. We don’t need to choose between them. The best math instruction braids the two together, in puzzles that are clear yet subtle. A good math lesson, like a good sudoku, can welcome and challenge students simultaneously — welcome them by challenging them.”

TEACHER VOICE: Instead of worrying about whether math is easy or difficult, let’s make it welcoming - The Hechinger Report There’s an assumption that teaching math should move students from “easy” to “difficult.” But easy and difficult are only proxies for two higher virtues, the actual qualities of successful instruction: Math class should be welcoming and challenging.

At MATHCOUNTS, we worked all summer to prepare resources for teachers that will help engage students with math. We believe that the skills students learn in MATHCOUNTS programs—math and logic, teamwork, creativity—can lead to all kinds of success. Math can take students anywhere!

Your support helps us make high-quality resources that are free and accessible. This back-to-school season, help us reach our fundraising goal of $2821.81 (24^2.5). Donate now at mathcounts.org/donate to have your contribution matched!

40 years after the last “busy beaver” breakthrough, an international collaborative project has set a new limit for what can be calculated. Learn more about the busy beaver function:

Mathematicians Have Finally Found the Fifth ‘Busiest Beaver’ The busy beaver function is unpredictable. But now, after more than 40 years, the fifth value of the function has been revealed

“Because quantum mechanics looks at the tiniest particles, one at a time, even simple questions can have complex answers that require massive computing power … physicists Arnab Priya Saha and Aninda Sinha describe their new version of a quantum model that reduces complexity but maintains accuracy.”

A New Formula for Pi Is Here. And It’s Pushing Scientific Boundaries. This breakthrough method optimizes complex computations like never before.

Have you tried the National Math Club? Separate from or complementary to the Competition Series, the Club program gives students opportunities to enjoy math in a non-competitive setting. Students can also earn prizes and recognition from MATHCOUNTS. And it’s totally free! Learn more and register at mathcounts.org/club.

We are so excited to be part of this consortium led by RTI International and grateful for the incredible support of STEM education from DoD STEM! MATHCOUNTS students and educators show us how powerful math and problem solving can be, and how important it is to expand opportunities to every student in our nation.

We’re thrilled to continue to support DoD STEM’s mission to inspire, cultivate and develop exceptional STEM talent and to continue collaborating with amazing partners in DSEC.

Department of Defense Awards $190 Million Cooperative Agreement to Deliver National STEM E The Defense Department announced the award of the Defense Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Consortium Cooperative Agreement to the Research Triangle Institute and its

REMINDER: Registration for MATHCOUNTS is officially open! Register for the Competition Series and the National Math Club today at mathcounts.org/register.

It’s time to go back to school, and we can’t wait to embark on the 2024-2025 school year together! As the saying goes, “If you want to go far, go together.” This year, we hope to bring as many students, teachers and volunteers on board as possible, picking up new Mathletes all along the way.

Our goal this back-to-school season is to raise $2821.81 (24^2.5). A generous supporter will match donations until we reach our goal, meaning your donation will have double the impact. Donate today at mathcounts.org/donate to help fund a student’s one-way ticket to success!

Our executive director, Kristen Chandler, recently joined The Math Club podcast to discuss our mission and programs. Give the episode a listen!

The Math Club: Making it Count: An Interview with MATHCOUNTS Pete’s efforts to help Noah prepare for an upcoming math competition lead to a conversation with Kristen Chandler, the executive director of MATHCOUNTS.  Join Pete and Noah as they learn about this fascinating organization that provides engaging math programs to middle school students around ...

Have you ever considered coaching a MATHCOUNTS team? You don’t have to be a math teacher or expert to coach. We provide everything you need to lead a successful team, including practice plans, the 2024-2025 MATHCOUNTS School Handbook and more. Learn more and register at mathcounts.org/newcoach!

What are sheaves? “Think about it like the mathematical object is a plot of land and a sheaf is like a garden on top of it.”

What Are Sheaves? | Quanta Magazine These metaphorical gardens have become central objects in modern mathematics.

August is National Wellness Month! What can you do to take care of your physical, mental and emotional health? Take a moment to check in with yourself and give yourself the care you need to start the school year strong.

Read about a new breakthrough in Riemann’s hypothesis—a 160-year-old math problem—and the role collaboration plays in mathematics:

Mathematicians Are Edging Close to Solving One of the World's 7 Hardest Math Problems There’s $1 million at stake.

Happy ! Since 1983, MATHCOUNTS has touched the lives of thousands of Mathletes across the country. We are so proud of our organization and the work we’ve done to encourage young students to love math. Here’s to many more years!

Celebrate National Tell a Joke Day with us by sharing your favorite math jokes in the comments!

3…2…1… BLAST OFF into a world of fun and exciting math with MATHCOUNTS! Program registration is officially open for the 2024-2025 school year. Get an early bird discount on the Competition Series and register for the completely free National Math Club today! mathcounts.org/reg

You might recognize alumnus Po Shen-Loh from MATHCOUNTS competitions or his online Live Solve sessions. Check out this article about his experience coaching the US IMO team, and his teaching philosophy centered around human value, connectivity and “intellectual fearlessness.”

Po-Shen Loh: An International Man of Math Carnegie Mellon University has been an international center for competitive math, and its faculty fostered an environment where each year’s team could prepare to show their skills to the world. Mathematical Sciences Professor Po-Shen Loh has been at the heart of it.

Our next Alumni Chats interview is with two-time MATHCOUNTS National Champion and MIT student Luke Robitaille! Read more at mathcounts.org/alumnichats

Only 1 more week until MATHCOUNTS registration opens! Register on August 15 to get the resources you need to help your middle schoolers become brilliant problem solvers and shining math stars! www.mathcounts.org/register

Happy from our sponsor National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)! Many MATHCOUNTS volunteers are Professional Engineers, and many of our alumni go on to become them!

Happy ! Engineers work each day to create a safer, healthier world for us all, and we are grateful for the lasting impact of their contributions.

Learn more about professional licensure: https://bit.ly/457OAiB

Have you been watching the Summer Olympics? Check out this interview with Ken Ono, the number theorist using math to help swimmers reach Olympic speeds:

How America’s Fastest Swimmers Use Math to Win Gold | Quanta Magazine Number theorist Ken Ono is teaching Olympians to swim more efficiently.