MATH PROBLEM SOLVING WEB PAGE

Web page for the Northwestern University Math Problem Solving Group.

Goals

  1. Acquire basic math problem solving skills.
  2. Help in training future candidates for the yearly Putnam Competition.

Activities

  1. Solve math problems proposed in magazines like Math Horizons, College Mathematics Journal and the Mathematics Magazine. Ideally we should solve at least one problem from each issue.
  2. Discuss solutions to problems and study mathematical subjects related to problem solving.

Unless otherwise stated, the level of the problems and results shown here should be undergraduate.

Last Modified: May 13, 2013

Index

Announcements

(There are no announcements at this moment.)

MathPSG Emailing List

Subscribe to the Math Problem Solving Group emailing list by sending an email to listserv@listserv.it.northwestern.edu with the following line in its body: 
subscribe MathPSG Your Name
where Your Name means that you must write your name there.

Alternatively, please click in one of the following links, depending on whether you want to

Clicking on one of those links will fire up the mail program associated to your browser with the appropriate command for the listserver already typed in. Note however that if your choice is to subscribe MathPSG, you must add your name at the end of the line "subscribe MathPSG", otherwise the listserver will reply with an error message saying that the name is missing.

Note: Problems from magazines discussed and solved in the MathPSG emailing list may be submitted to the magazines in the name of the Northwestern University Math Problem Solving Group.

The MathPSG emailing list is moderated. Postings sent to the list will not be automatically forwarded to its members, they must await approval by the moderator.

How the group works

The Math PSG works on problems proposed by various math magazines (see below), and submits solutions to the magazines. The process works like this:
  1. Pick a problem not yet solved by the group, and for which the deadline for submission has not arrived yet.
  2. If you solve the problem, you can post your solution sending it by email to
    MathPSG@listserv.it.northwestern.edu
    or mailing it directly to the group coordinator. If you want to give a chance the other members of the group to think the problem too, instead of a complete solution you may post only some hints first.
  3. Some discussion of the solution may follow. After the solution is considered correct, and if nobody has anything to add, the coordinator will write a final version and submit it to the magazine in behalf of the group. If there is some discussion, or more that one solution posted, the coordinator will try to compose a "combined solution" with the different contributions.
Problems solved by the group and submitted to a magazine appear below in the column "submitted solutions".

Proposed Problems

These are problems proposed in magazines like Math Horizons, College Mathematics Journal, the Mathematics Magazine, Pi Mu Epsilon Journal, and Harvard College Mathematics Review. Ideally we should try to solve at least one problem from each issue and submit it to the magazine before the deadline.

Note: Downloading the lists of proposed problems requires authentication by password. I will distribute periodically the necessary username and password among the members of the Math Problem Solving Group. If you are a member of the group and have forgotten the password, let me know at MATHPSG-request@listserv.it.northwestern.edu.

source deadline submitted solutions (*)
- 2012 -
Math Horizons, Vol. 19, No. 2, Nov 2011 January 10, 2012 266, 269
College Mathematics Journal, Vol. 42, No. 5, Nov 2011 February 15, 2012 961
Mathematics Magazine, Vol. 84, No. 4, Oct 2011 March 1, 2012 1876
Pi Mu Epsilon Journal, Fall 2011 (external link) March 1, 2012 1252
College Mathematics Journal, Vol. 43, No. 1, Jan 2012 April 15, 2012 968
Mathematics Magazine, Vol. 84, No. 5, Dec 2011 May 1, 2012 1882, 1885
Math Horizons, Vol. 19, No. 3, Feb 2012 June 1, 2012 273
College Mathematics Journal, Vol. 43, No. 2, Mar 2012 June 15, 2012 974
Mathematics Magazine, Vol. 85, No. 1, Feb 2012 July 1, 2012 1889
Math Horizons, Vol. 19, No. 4, Apr 2012 August 10, 2012 274
College Mathematics Journal, Vol. 43, No. 3, May 2012 August 15, 2012 977, 979
Mathematics Magazine, Vol. 85, No. 2, Apr 2012 September 1, 2012 1892
Pi Mu Epsilon Journal, Spring 2012 (external link) October 1, 2012 1257
Mathematics Magazine, Vol. 85, No. 3, Jun 2012 November 1, 2012 1896
Math Horizons, Vol. 20, No. 1, Sep 2012 November 10, 2012 280
College Mathematics Journal, Vol. 43, No. 4, Sep 2012 December 15, 2012 981
- 2013 -
Math Horizons, Vol. 20, No. 2, Nov 2012 January 11, 2013 283
College Mathematics Journal, Vol. 43, No. 5, Nov 2012 February 15, 2013 990
Mathematics Magazine, Vol. 85, No. 4, Oct 2012 March 1, 2013 1901
Pi Mu Epsilon Journal, Fall 2012 (external link) March 1, 2013 1266, 1267
College Mathematics Journal, Vol. 44, No. 1, Jan 2013 April 15, 2013 993, 995
Mathematics Magazine, Vol. 85, No. 5, Dec 2012 May 1, 2013 1909
Math Horizons, Vol. 20, No. 3, Feb 2013 May 31, 2013 286, 289
College Mathematics Journal, Vol. 44, No. 2, Mar 2013 June 15, 2013 1000
Mathematics Magazine, Vol. 86, No. 1, Feb 2013 July 1, 2013 1912
Math Horizons, Vol. 20, No. 4, Apr 2013 August 10th, 2013 293
College Mathematics Journal, Vol. 44, No. 3, May 2013 Aug 15th, 2013 1004
Mathematics Magazine, Vol. 86, No. 2, Apr 2013 September 1, 2013

(*) Color red means that the solution submitted by us was selected for publication.

Problems for the Brave

Problems from magazines like the American Mathematical Monthly are traditionally (but not always) harder than the ones proposed in the magazines mentioned above. I am including them here just in case someone wants to try them.

(See note above about requiring username and password for downloading the lists of proposed problems.)
source deadline submitted solutions
- 2012 -
American Mathematical Monthly, Vol. 118, No. 8, Oct 2011 February 29, 2012 11596
American Mathematical Monthly, Vol. 118, No. 9, Nov 2011 March 31, 2012
American Mathematical Monthly, Vol. 118, No. 10, Dec 2011 April 30, 2012
American Mathematical Monthly, Vol. 119, No. 1, Jan 2012 May 31, 2012
American Mathematical Monthly, Vol. 119, No. 2, Feb 2012 June 30, 2012
American Mathematical Monthly, Vol. 119, No. 3, Mar 2012 July 31, 2012
American Mathematical Monthly, Vol. 119, No. 4, Apr 2012 August 31, 2012
American Mathematical Monthly, Vol. 119, No. 5, May 2012 September 30, 2012
American Mathematical Monthly, Vol. 119, No. 6, Jun-Jul 2012 October 31, 2012
American Mathematical Monthly, Vol. 119, No. 7, Aug-Sep 2012 December 31, 2012
- 2013 -
American Mathematical Monthly, Vol. 119, No. 8, Oct 2012 February 28, 2013
American Mathematical Monthly, Vol. 119, No. 9, Nov 2012 March 31, 2013 11670
American Mathematical Monthly, Vol. 119, No. 10, Dec 2012 April 30, 2013
American Mathematical Monthly, Vol. 120, No. 1, Jan 2013 May 31, 2013
American Mathematical Monthly, Vol. 120, No. 2, Feb 2013 Jun 30, 2013
American Mathematical Monthly, Vol. 120, No. 4, Apr 2013 Aug 31, 2013
American Mathematical Monthly, Vol. 120, No. 5, May 2013 Sep 30, 2013

(*) Color red means that the solution submitted by us was selected for publication.

Lists of problems

Collections and archives with math problems (and some solutions).

Local links

External links

Mathematical Results

These are common mathematical results that can be used in the resolution of math problems.

Solved problems

This is a collection of solutions to some problems.

Problem Solving Groups

Other Links

Bibliography

Comments, suggestions...? email Miguel A. Lerma at: mlerma at math dot northwestern dot edu

WWW Address: "http://www.math.northwestern.edu/~mlerma/problem_solving/"