The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical
Competition is held each year on one of the first two Saturdays in
December. The examination, open to all
regularly enrolled undergraduate students in the United States and Canada, is
constructed to test originality and technical competence. It is expected that the contestant will be
familiar with the formal theories embodied in undergraduate mathematics. The examination consists of two sets of six
questions, one to be worked on during a three-hour period in the morning, and
the other during a three-hour period in the afternoon.
Each problem is graded on a basis of 0 to
10 points. All the necessary work to justify an answer and all necessary steps
of a proof must be shown clearly to obtain full credit. Some partial
credit may be given, but only when a contestant has shown significant
and substantial progress toward a solution.
The contest is administered by the
Mathematical Association of America.
If you have an interest in this competition please call, write, or see
me – Gary Towsley, in the Department of Mathematics, South Hall 324C, x5388,
towsleyg@geneseo.edu. Registration for
the contest closes around October 15 of each year. Announcement if registration will be made through this web site,
in various Math classes, and by e-mail.