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/sci/ - Science & Math

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7229173 No.7229173 [Reply] [Original]

How many of you fucks could actually compete in this?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lowell_Putnam_Mathematical_Competition

> It is widely considered to be the most prestigious university-level mathematics examination in the world, and its difficulty is such that the median score is often zero or one (out of 120) despite being attempted by students specializing in mathematics.

>> No.7229199

I'm sure plenty of people here do this every year. I got a 21 this year (I realized right after finishing part A that I missed something in my proof for A1, and I got A2 and B1). How did /sci/ do?

>> No.7229235

>>7229199
Can your mathematical wizardry give you dubs on demand?

>> No.7229239

I would have had I gotten into mathematics sooner.

>> No.7229372

I want to know more about this. What makes someone good enough to take this test?

>> No.7231178

i got a 10

>> No.7231301

>>7229372
Most competent math majors can get a positive score. Getting an honorable mention, or going as far as Putnam fellow is some serious shit. The people I know who got honorable mentions are really smart, and the Putnam fellows from my school are unbelievable.

>> No.7231319

>>7229173

I'm sure Jacob Barnett could score a 121 out of 120

>> No.7231451

>>7229173
It's really not that hard if you know basic college material and know some problem solving. I took the Putnam exam every year of undergrad and was able to score in the top 200 every year, and scored in the top 100 one year.

Doing well in competitions doesn't mean you'll make a good researcher or anything, though. The only famous mathematicians I know who did really well on the Putnam are Milnor, Mumford, and Quillen. I have a friend at my undergrad who was a putnam fellow one year (so, much better at it than I was). We ended up going to the same grad school and now I'm a postdoc and he's in industry because he couldn't get a good academic position

>> No.7231481

>>7231319
He did take the test a few years ago and scored a -1/12

>> No.7231483

tfw got a 2
fuck yes above median

>> No.7231526

>>7229173
That test can't be that hard.
You have to apply yourself.
What's a median?

>> No.7231530

>>7231526
it's not that hard, but they may be hard for you if you don' t know what a median is, friend.

>> No.7231620

>>7231526
5/10 ?

>> No.7231626

/sci/ used to have a daily putnam challenge sticky, it was lots of fun until mods became too lazy.