The Department of Mathematics at Middle Georgia State University is proud to partner with Mathematical Puzzle Programs (MaPP) to bring mathematical puzzle events to MGA’s campus.  

 

The MaPP Challenge is a team-based mathematical puzzle competition for high school students held at multiple college campuses across the country. Unlike most math competitions, MaPP doesn’t require any knowledge beyond basic algebra and rewards players’ problem-solving ability over their previous mathematical background.

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Math

MaPP’s mathematical content is pulled from various areas unrepresented in the usual secondary curriculum, such as design theory, game theory, or topology.
 

Puzzles

MaPP shredded the multiple choice tests, and instead designed several mathematical puzzles which will give your students a taste of real mathematical problem solving, and prepare them for the types of questions asked in many job interviews.
 

Team-building

The MaPP Challenge is a team-based competition, emphasizing collaboration and communication over individual work, as teamwork is crucial for success in both industry and academia.
 

Fun!

These challenges won’t all be solved sitting down – players will find themselves running around MGA’s campus to track down clues and uncover new puzzles to solve.

 

Why should my school participate?

In addition to being a lot of fun, MaPP has designed its events to fit the Common Core State Standards for Mathematical Practice. Successful players will…

1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.

3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.

4. Model with mathematics.

5. Use appropriate tools strategically.

6. Attend to precision.

7. Look for and make use of structure.

8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

 

How do I choose teams?

Up to 8 high school students (9th through 12th grade) may form a team.  Each school may sponsor one team unless there is space available.  At least 7-8 students on a team is recommended.  Each team requires at least one teacher or chaperone on site, and the sponsoring teacher must register their school in advance.  Students with experience solving mathematical puzzles will have an advantage in competition, but this team-based event can be enjoyed by most students regardless of background.

What do we need to bring? What are we allowed to use during the competition?

Lunch will be provided, but you may wish to bring your own snacks and drinks for your team(s) to munch on while puzzling. Teams will be provided paper and pencils, but you may bring your own supplies if you wish. 

What kinds of puzzles are these? How should we practice?

Students will have fun regardless of their previous experience with math puzzles. If you want to see puzzles from previous years, visit MappMath.org.