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Four seniors used quick thinking Wednesday to defeat three other teams in this year’s Math Bowl.
The 2003 champions are Alex Balan, a double major in computer science and mathematics & economics from Bucharest, Romania; Guangxi Wang, an electrical and computer engineering major from Shanghai, China; Lazar Nikolic, a double major in computer science and mathematics from Roswell, Ga.; and Angela Coxe, a double major in math and computer science from Easton, Pa.
“We had lots of fun, as usual, with several students doing some quick mental math,” says Gary Gordon, professor of mathematics and organizer of the event.
Four teams, each comprised of four students, competed in Pardee Hall room 227.
A few sample questions:
1. What is the largest two-digit number whose square root is a perfect square? [81]
2. The year 2003 is special because 2003 is a prime number. For 10 points apiece,
a) what was the last year before 2003 that was prime? [1999]
b) When will the next one be? [2011]
3. The numbers from one to 100 are written down. How many individual digits are
written? [192]
“The winning team got the last question in about five seconds — that’s pretty good,” notes Gordon. “The four students on the top team get attractive T-shirts that proudly proclaim ‘Lafayette College Math Bowl Champions — 2003.’”
Sponsored by the mathematics department, the annual competition is similar to College Bowl tournaments, with a buzzer system determining which team answers each toss-up question. Toss-up questions are worth 10 points, and a correct answer leads to a bonus question worth more. Students have five to ten seconds in which to answer.
Some sample questions at last year’s competition and their answers include:
1. Find two positive integers whose sum and product are prime. [1 and 2]
2. What member of the math department can have his or her name rearranged to spell A FRESH VINE? [Evan Fisher]
3. This word describes a series in calculus, an oscillator in physics, a function in analysis, and overtones in music. What is it? [Harmonic]
4. Name any year in which Isaac Newton lived. [1643-1727]
Last year’s Math Bowl champions were Steve DiMauro ’02, Tim Fargus ’02, Tim Bragdon ’04, and Josh Grubman ’03.