Thank you for your interest in MATHCOUNTS!  This is a program open to middle school students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades.  The purpose of the MATHCOUNTS program is to expand students’ knowledge in various topics of mathematics and to challenge the students to approach mathematics with alternative thinking strategies and problem-solving skills.  The experience will also aim to develop cooperation and teamwork in problem-solving activities.  An opportunity to explore mathematics based on student interest will also be addressed.

MATHCOUNTS will be offered on a weekly basis for students who are exceptionally strong, and desiring additional challenges, in mathematics reasoning.  Students will participate in an enrichment group for a period of 45 minutes per week.  The meeting time will vary so that students will not miss the same class each week.  Students also have the option of choosing to remain in their regular classes with consideration for experiments, project presentations or testing that may be occurring during MATHCOUNTS enrichment time.

                By participating in the MATHCOUNTS program, students will also have the opportunity to prepare for local mathematics competitions within the district and against other participating middle schools.  Student performance at the local level will be the basis for the selection of individuals and a middle school team to advance to a regional competition.  The team chosen to compete at the regional competition will be chosen based upon dedication to the team, overall mathematical skill, and the ability to work cooperatively during problem-solving activities. 

  

 
 
 
The following are some interesting facts about MATHCOUNTS:
  • More than 17,000 volunteers (teachers, engineers, other professionals, parents, and alumni) participate annually to coach students and conduct competitions.
  • Since the program began in 1983, over 6 million students have participated.
  • More than 6,000 schools participate in competitions annually from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories and State Department and Department of Defense schools worldwide.
  • Each year, over 250,000 students utilize MATHCOUNTS materials.
  • Corporations and individuals donate $1.5 million to $1.7 million annually to the national program and over $500,000 to the local and state programs.
  • MATHCOUNTS winners are recognized at the White House.
 
 
MATHCOUNTS

National Competition Final Problem 2008

Darryl Wu, a sixth-grade student from Bellevue, Washington, competed against 227 other middle school students in the 2008 MATHCOUNTS competition on May 9th.  Wu answered this challenging problem in less than 45 seconds to win the national competition:

A set of distinct positive integers has a total of 11 digits, and all the digits are 1’s.  What is the smallest possible sum of the integers in the set?

 
 
 
 

 For more information about MATHCOUNTS, please visit www.mathcounts.org.