The weekly Putnam practice session run by Dr. Wang is now a topics course:
MATH 4801WAN, Special Topics, 1 credit hour, CRN 88321, W 4-5:30
Problem Solving in Mathematics
Instructor: Dr. Wang
Location: TBA
What is the Putnam Exam?
The William Lowell Putnam Exam is an annual competition, on the first
Saturday in December. Approximately 3000 undergraduates take the exam each
year. The exam consists of two 3 hours sessions, with 6 problems in each
session. Each problem is worth 10 points. The median score is a 2/120. One
needs to practice to do well on this exam.
Each university can select a team to represent it. Prizes are offered for
the top teams, and best individual test takers. Over the 60 years of the exam,
many of the top participants have gone on to bright careers in mathematics and
the sciences in general. Several have gone on to win the Nobel prize in Physics.
(There is no Nobel prize in Mathematics.)
Each year, Professor Wang runs weekly problem sessions to practice for the
Putnam. The School of Math is offering one credit hour for participation in the
practice sessions, by signing up for MATH 4801WAN.
Questions?
Contact Dr. Steinbart (steinbar@math.gatech.edu) or Dr. Wang
(wang@math.gatech.edu). Also see www.math.gatech.edu/~wang/putnam.html