UA hosts American Mathematical Society competition

Issue date: 4/20/09 Section: News

Kyle Strong (left) won first place and received a $1,250 prize, while Karan Batra came in second with a $250 prize. Mike Breen (middle), hosted the American Mathematical Society's math competition Wednesday.

Kyle Strong has been studying math volumes recently, but not for his trig/pre-cal class. His calculations and estimations Wednesday afternoon did not earn him an "A" but rather $1,250 in prize money from the UA math department.

The UA hosted the American Mathematical Society's math competition called "Who Wants to Be a Mathematician" Wednesday when eight high school students from Arkansas competed for cash and prizes. Designed to resemble the TV show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," the students were asked multiple choice math questions of increasing difficulty, and even had a lifeline to ask a teacher or friend in the audience for help.

The AMS has been performing the game for more than eight years from Boston to Honolulu, but this was its first visit to Arkansas. The purpose of the 32,000-member organization is to further math research and foster awareness of math and its connections to other disciplines.

The game is intended to show students that math can be fun and rewarding. "It gives the students a chance to show off," said Michael Breen, the host of the game and Public Awareness Officer for AMS.

Strong, a junior at Har-Ber High School in Springdale, won the competition for $750 in prize money and answered the bonus question for another $500. He said he planned on saving most of the money to use toward college, although he doesn't yet know where that will be.

Karan Batra, a junior at Bentonville High School, won a preliminary round for $250. The other contestants received math software, a calculus book or the "What's Happening in the Mathematical Sciences" book series.

Strong's parents, Dave and Cindy Strong; his teacher, Mindy Bain; and about 22 classmates cheered him on during the competition. Strong said his school made an announcement that he had qualified to compete and made it a field trip opportunity for students to support him at the contest.

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