HUBBARD HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS CONTESTAuthor(s): BETTY L. BAKERSource: The Mathematics Teacher, Vol. 74, No. 2 (February 1981), pp. 123-124Published by: National Council of Teachers of MathematicsStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27962350 .

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HUBBARD HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS CONTEST

By BETTY L. BAKER Hubbard High School Chicago, IL 60629

Since 1973 one of the most popular ac tivities of the Hubbard High School (Chi cago) chapter of Mu Alpha Theta has been its annual Elementary School Mathematics Contest. The competition, which involves

eighth-grade students from neighboring public and parochial elementary schools, is

patterned after a once-popular Chicago area television quiz show called "It's Aca demic." In 1980 sixteen schools and forty eight students, selected by their classroom

teachers, participated in this contest. The 1980 contest began with four elimi

nation matches, with four schools (three students per school) taking part in each

match. An elimination match consisted of three rounds. In the first round, each school

individually was given the opportunity to answer up to ten questions orally within a three-minute time period. Each team ap pointed a captain who served as spokes person for the school. Of course, this stu dent was allowed to consult with other team members before responding to a

question. A correct response was awarded 10 points. No points were deducted for in correct answers or no response. The correct answer was simply read in such instances.

Each school could earn up to 100 points in the first round.

In the second round, a six-minute time limit was imposed. In this round a question

was read, and the first team captain to raise a hand was given a chance to answer it.

Twenty points were awarded to the schobt if the answer was correct. If, however, the

response was incorrect, 10 points were sub tracted from the school's score and the other schools were given an opportunity to answer the same question, following the same rules. The number of questions asked in this round was determined by the quick ness and accuracy of the responses within the allotted time.

The questions for the first two rounds were written by the student members of Mu Alpha Theta, a national honor society in mathematics. Some of these students had themselves been contestants in pre vious such contests sponsored by our school. These questions dealt with compu tational problems, the metric system, ele

mentary algebraic constructs, and basic

geometric concepts.

Example 1. If a = 4 and b = 9, then 2a + 3b =_

Example 2. What is 9% of 100?

Example 3. If a man could drive 100 miles on 4 gallons of gas, how many gal

Four copies of manuscripts to be considered for inclusion in "Clubs" should be sent directly to the editor, LeRoy C. Dalton, Wauwatosa West High School, 11400 W. Center St., Wauwatosa, WI53222. For ideas on content and format, consult the remarks from the Editorial Panel that appeared with this section in the Sep tember 1980 issue.

February 1981 123

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Ions of gas would he need to drive 175

miles?

The third round was a written quick

quiz round. Each team member, working

independently within a ten-minute time

frame, was given a short test consisting of

ten items. These items were written by members of the mathematics faculty of

Hubbard. Twenty points were awarded correct answers, and five points were sub

tracted for incorrect solutions. No penalty points were deducted for omissions. Here are two sample quick-quiz items from the

1980 written round.

Example L The price of a TV set is usu

ally $600. Because of inflation, however, the price is increased 15%. Ted buys the set

after the price has been increased, but as an

employee of the store, he takes a 20% dis

count. Including 6% Illinois state sales tax, how much will Ted pay for the set?

Example 2. If 3jc + 4 = 5y and y + 6 = 7, then + y =_

The winners of the four elimination matches then played in a championship match. The same three-round procedure was followed, but the third round quick quiz questions were somewhat more diffi cult. Following the same rules as in the elimination matches, these four schools

(twelve students) competed for a trophy, which was suitably inscribed and presented to the winning school. Each member of the

winning team also received a blue (first place) ribbon. Red and white ribbons were awarded to the members of the teams that

placed second and third, respectively, in the championship round. All participants received certificates of participation in the contest.

The order in which schools competed was determined by random drawing prior to the contest. The school scoring the high est number of points in each elimination

match participated in the final (champion ship) match. It was, therefore, possible for a second-place winner in one elimination match to score more points than a first

place winner in another similar contest, but

instances of this occurring have been rare

and have never posed a problem. A panel of three student judges deter

mined which school responded first in the

second rounds. Decisions of these judges were final. This has posed an occasional

problem?one we hope to rectify next year with the help of an electronic response sys tem that would illuminate a fight in front

of the team responding first, while making it temporarily impossible for the other teams to illuminate their lights.

From year to year we have had to ac

commodate the number of elimination matches to the number of schools partici

pating. Sometimes only three schools com

pete in a given match. For example, if thir

teen schools take part, there are three

matches with three schools taking part in

each and one match in which four schools

participate. Each school participating in

the finals, however, has defeated at least two other schools. The element of "luck"

involved in how schools are matched seems

to be an unavoidable problem, but has never proven to be a major obstacle.

Each year this contest generates consid

erable enthusiasm, and past competitors save the questions from previous years' contests so that they can practice for the next one. The 1981 contest has been tenta

tively scheduled for Wednesday, 18 March

1980. For further information, write to

Betty L. Baker, Sponsor, Mu Alpha Theta, Hubbard High School, 6200 South Hamlin,

Chicago, IL 60629.

101 PUZZLE PROBLEMS With Solutions by

Bates-Smith ?? Develops sound problem-solving technique

Excellent math enrichment material

Good for "day before vacation use"

Stimulating extra credit problems Suitable for use with computer

Sample SAT Math Problems & Math fallacies

Intro, number theory, historical notes

at $7.50 (price includes postage) Send check or money order to:

NATHANIEL B. BATES 277 Nashoba Rd., Concord, MA 01742

124 Mathematics Teacher

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