A mathlete is a person who competes in

mathematics competitions Mathematics competitions or mathematical olympiads are competitive events where participants complete a mathematics, math test. These tests may require multiple choice or numeric answers, or a detailed written solution or proof. International mat ...

at any level or any age. The definition may be extended to computer programming competitions, as well. The term is a

portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

of the words

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

and

athlete An athlete is most commonly a person who competes in one or more sports involving physical strength, speed, power, or endurance. Sometimes, the word "athlete" is used to refer specifically to sport of athletics competitors, i.e. including track ...

. Mathletics is a

mind sport A mind sport is a game of skill based on intellectual ability. Etymology The first major use of the term was as a result of the Mind Sports Olympiad in 1997. The phrase had been used prior to this event such as backgammon being described as a ...

. ''Mathlete'' is a

registered trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a form of intellectual property that consists of a word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination that identifies a product or service from a particular source and distinguishes it from ot ...

of the MATHCOUNTS Foundation in the United States, and identifies a student who participates in any of the MATHCOUNTS programs. Top Mathletes from MATHCOUNTS often go on to compete in the AIME,

USAMO The United States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO) is a highly selective high school mathematics competition held annually in the United States. Since its debut in 1972, it has served as the final round of the American Mathematics Compe ...

, and ARML competitions in the United States. Those in other countries generally participate in national olympiads to qualify for the

International Mathematical Olympiad The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is a mathematical olympiad for pre-university students, and is the oldest of the International Science Olympiads. It is widely regarded as the most prestigious mathematical competition in the wor ...

. Participants in World Math Day also are commonly referred to as mathletes.

Collegiate competitions

The Putnam Exam: The William Lowell Putnam Competition is the preeminent undergraduate level mathletic competition in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. Administered by the

Mathematical Association of America The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) is a professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. Members include university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary edu ...

, students compete as individuals and as teams (as chosen by their Institution) for scholarships and team prize money. The exam is annually administered on the first Saturday in December.

Mathletic off-season training

The academic off-season (traditionally referred to as "summer") can be especially difficult on mathletes, though various training regimens have been proposed to keep mathletic ability at its peak. Publications such as the MAA's ''

The American Mathematical Monthly ''The American Mathematical Monthly'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal of mathematics. It was established by Benjamin Finkel in 1894 and is published by Taylor & Francis on behalf of the Mathematical Association of America. It is an exposito ...

'' and the AMS's ''

Notices of the American Mathematical Society ''Notices of the American Mathematical Society'' is the membership journal of the American Mathematical Society (AMS), published monthly except for the combined June/July issue. The first volume was published in 1953. Each issue of the magazine ...

'' are widely read to maintain and hone mathematical ability. Some coaches suggest seeking research internships or grants, many of which are funded by the

National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...

. At higher levels, mathletes can obtain funding from host institutions to work on summer research projects. For example, the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially known as UD, UDel, or Delaware) is a Statutory college#Delaware, privately governed, state-assisted Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Newark, Delaware, United States. UD offers f ...

offers the Groups Exploring the Mathematical Sciences project (GEMS project) to first year graduate students. The students act as the principal investigator and work with an undergraduate research assistant and a faculty adviser who will oversee their summer research.

References

External links

World Math Day

Algorithm Olympics
Mathematics competitions {{math-competition-stub

Collegiate competitions

Mathletic off-season training

See also

References

External links