Transcript for the Math Jam "WOOT Math Jam" on Jul 11.

Math Jam hosted by nsato (Naoki Sato ).

Welcome to today's WOOT Math Jam!

nsato (19:31:47)
Before we get started I would like to take a brief moment to explain our virtual classroom to those who have not previously participated in a Math Jam or one of our online classes.

nsato (19:31:57)
As many of you know, this classroom is moderated, meaning that participants can type into the classroom, but only the moderators can choose a comment to drop into the classroom. This helps keep the session organized and on track. Also, only moderators can enter into private chats with other people in the classroom.

nsato (19:32:12)
Today we're here to answer questions that you may have about WOOT!

nsato (19:32:17)
WOOT stands for Worldwide Online Olympiad Training.

nsato (19:32:28)
Plus, it's fun to say... ""Woot!""

nsato (19:32:37)
WOOT is a 7-month online training program for students who are preparing for their national math Olympiad or the International Mathematical Olympiad. WOOT 2007-08 will run from mid-September, 2007 to mid-April, 2008.

nsato (19:32:45)
WOOT is sponsored by D. E. Shaw group:

nsato (19:32:53)


nsato (19:32:59)
Why WOOT?

nsato (19:33:05)
Most students have little or no Olympiad-level experience or instruction before they take a National Olympiad. WOOT remedies this problem by offering test-taking and solution-writing practice with feedback, classes with past Olympiad winners, and collaboration with the some of the top high school math students in the world.

nsato (19:33:15)
Specifically, WOOT will include the following activities:

nsato (19:33:29)
(1) 16 2-hour online lectures. Each class will be offered twice to alleviate time conflicts.

(2) 8 handouts that will contain articles and practice problems, that will help students prepare for the lectures.

(3) 3 Problem Sets, 2 Practice AIME-style tests, and 4 Practice Olympiad-style tests.

(4) Detailed feedback on student work on each of the problem sets and practice Olympiads.

(5) WOOT message board for discussing lectures, post-lecture problem lists, and past WOOT tests.

(6) 24-hour online classroom access for WOOT participants to collaborate.

nsato (19:33:58)
Numerous International Math Olympiad participants and USA Mathematical Olympiad winners (including the current Art of Problem Solving instructors) will be WOOT instructors.

nsato (19:34:05)
WOOT is ideal for students preparing for a National Olympiad such as the USA Mathematical Olympiad. Due to generous sponsorship from D. E. Shaw & Co. and Art of Problem Solving, 2007 Math Olympiad Summer Program participants are invited to join WOOT for free. Therefore, all participants in WOOT will have the opportunity to train with the top high school students in the United States.

nsato (19:34:16)
The tuition for WOOT is $795, but if you register by July 15, the cost of the program is only $695.

nsato (19:34:35)
Here is the URL for the WOOT page:

nsato (19:34:38)
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Classes/AoPS_C_WOOT.php

nsato (19:34:57)
At this point I'll open the discussion for questions.

Lazarus (19:33:47)
What do you mean by 24-hour online classroom access?

rrusczyk (19:35:45)
It means that this classroom will be open for students to get together online and chat. Sometimes students use it to collaborate on homework, etc.

sakm5510@hotmail.com (19:35:31)
At what point should one consider joining the WOOT?

rrusczyk (19:36:23)
If you are consistently scoring at least 4-5 on the AIME, or are preparing for a national high school olympiad, WOOT is probably right for you.

SorcererofDM (19:36:07)
What is the complete schedule for the whole program?

nsato (19:36:55)
A tentative schedule is available on our website:

nsato (19:36:57)
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Classes/AoPS_C_WOOTSchedule.php

nsato (19:37:29)
Some of the classes may change, but the changes will be minimal.

Lazarus (19:36:07)
Is this classroom enabled with anything like LaTEX?

rrusczyk (19:37:38)
Yes. Any post you precede with a semicolon is rendered as LaTeX.

sakm5510@hotmail.com (19:36:43)
in terms of grade level?

rrusczyk (19:38:08)
Most WOOTers are in grades 8-12. Probably the largest number are in grades 9-11.

sakm5510@hotmail.com (19:37:28)
could you clearly enumerate the path from AMC 10 to WOOT?

rrusczyk (19:38:51)
I'm not sure what you mean by 'Path from AMC 10 to WOOT', but if your goal is AMC10 preparation, we would recommend our Intro classes and our AMC 10 Problem Series for preparation.

SorcererofDM (19:39:01)
How much time would we spend on WOOT everyday to completely master it?

rrusczyk (19:41:11)
To get the most out of WOOT, you should expect to spend 3-6 hours a week on it. However, this time need not be uniform. You might spend 8-10 hours on it during weeks when you have time, and 0-2 hours on weeks where you have no free time (like, say, if you have finals). Obviously, if you spend 6 hours/wk, you'll get more out of it than 2 hours/wk, but you shouldn't expect to spend 10-15 hours/wk on it.

rrusczyk (19:41:31)
Are there any more questions about WOOT?

SorcererofDM (19:42:20)
Is WOOT for both AMC 10 and 12?

rrusczyk (19:43:44)
WOOT is beyond the AMC 10 and 12 - students should be pretty confident they'll pass the AMC 10 (or 12) when they enroll in WOOT. WOOT might help with the hardest problem on each test, but most of WOOT will be beyond the AMC 10 and 12.

rrusczyk (19:44:05)
(Our Intro and Intermediate classes will help with the AMC 10 and 12)

baydragon (19:42:35)
Do you make sure that we do the work?

nsato (19:44:36)
How much you do is completely up to you. We do give feedback on the assignments that students submit - this one of the more valuable and useful parts of WOOT.

mustafa (19:44:24)
What is your refund policy if we have to drop WOOT?

rrusczyk (19:45:30)
Students can drop WOOT for a full refund up to October 5. There is no refund after that date.

kennethyip (19:45:15)
What does a typical session look like?

nsato (19:47:11)
To see what lessons in our classroom look like, consult past Math Jam transcripts:

nsato (19:47:16)
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Community/AoPS_Y_MJ_Transcripts.php

nsato (19:47:35)
We will also be hosting some Math Jams later this summer, which we would recommend attending.

rrusczyk (19:49:13)
Basically, in each class, we will lead students through a variety of problems in a given subject. We will then provide practice problems on the message board afterwards to help hammer home the concepts presented in class. Sometimes we will also offer articles to read before class to help prepare.

baydragon (19:45:19)
Can we continue with the course without extra fee if we don't complete it on time?

rrusczyk (19:49:26)
I'm not sure what you mean about completing the course, but you can definitely continue with WOOT if you miss an assignment. You won't be able to turn in late assignments for evaluation, since we have strict grading deadlines. But you will still have access to all the classes, the message board, assignments, solutions, etc.

sakm5510@hotmail.com (19:46:45)
would it be of value to join WOOT (to just get a feel) if one has yet to experience algebra II and geometry in high school?

rrusczyk (19:50:58)
If you have yet to take algebra II or geometry, you might want to first take our Intro courses, and maybe some of our intermediate courses, then take WOOT next year. A good indicator of readiness for WOOT is performance on AMC tests. If you cannot pass the AMC 10 or 12, or get at least 4 or so questions on the AIME, you're probably not ready for WOOT, and you'd have a much more fruitful time in our other classes. Then, you can take WOOT in future years.

evil_phoenix_fire (19:48:25)
What is the typical level of our problems compared to AIME/USAMO problems

nsato (19:52:28)
The level of material will span all the way from easy AIME problems to hard USAMO problems. That really is the range of difficulty we are aiming for.

kennethyip (19:51:40)
Is there audio online? Can we actually hear the instructor talking?

rrusczyk (19:53:07)
There is no audio. There are a number of reasons for this. First of all, it allows many students to 'talk' at once - therefore, they all keep thinking, and all keep working. They can ask questions at any time without disrupting the classroom (and can ask them privately of instructors). Also, because everything is in text, we can produce a transcript for each class that is easy to scan and review after the class.

humanbeing (19:52:57)
Is WOOT available for students out of the US?

rrusczyk (19:54:07)
Absolutely. Our international students put the W (Worldwide) in WOOT. Granted, most of our students are in the US, but last year, we had students from 5-10, and many of them will be representing their countries at the IMO.

rrusczyk (19:54:40)
Are there any more questions?

humanbeing (19:57:02)
How does a WOOT assignment look like?

nsato (19:57:47)
A practice olympiad consists of 3 problems, and you will have 3 hours to complete it.

nsato (19:58:21)
A practice problem set consists of 12 problems, and you can submit solutions to 6 of the problems. These, you will have 3 weeks to complete.

nsato (19:58:34)
In both cases, full written solutions will be required.

baydragon (19:58:31)
Can you give us a sample question?

nsato (19:58:55)
There's one on the WOOT page:

nsato (19:58:58)
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Classes/AoPS_C_WOOT.php

evil_phoenix_fire (19:55:43)
By how about much can our AIME score expect to increase if we do reasonably well in WOOT?

rrusczyk (19:59:15)
That's obviously a tough question to answer, and there are no guarantees. A lot of it depends on your starting point, and how much you put into WOOT. If you are currently getting around 4 or so on the AIME, and you do all the work asked of you in WOOT, you should pass the AIME in 2008. (Obviously, we can't guarantee it, but working a great deal of problems in an environment with other outstanding students should put you in a great position for the AIME next year. Also, Art of Problem Solving has expanded the USAMO to 500 students now, so there's a lot more room for error in passing the AIME!)

mustafa (20:00:03)
If there is an unavoidable conflict with the class time on a given week (e.g.school concert) can we still access the session afterward somehow?

nsato (20:01:02)
Yes, there will be a transcript for each class. You can download and review it afterwards at your leisure.

nsato (20:01:32)
Also, note that each class will be offered twice, at two different times, to alleviate conflicts.

SorcererofDM (19:59:29)
Why isn't classes on Friday, when everyone is more free than the other weekdays?

rrusczyk (20:01:47)
Many high school students have expressed an interest in avoiding Friday night classes because they use Friday nights for social events.

sakm5510@hotmail.com (20:00:06)
you mentioned introductory and intermediate courses (I have seen them on the AOPS website)...is there any particular sequence you recommend?

rrusczyk (20:02:45)
Send me an email at classes@artofproblemsolving.com and describe your math background (include your classes taken and any contest results you have), and I will make a recommendation. Soon, we will have our new course listings up with a much more thorough description of our recommendations.

evil_phoenix_fire (20:01:05)
If I only got a score of 3 during the AIME this year, would it still be useful for me to sign up for WOOT?

rrusczyk (20:04:51)
That depends both on how you got the 3, and what you're doing now. If you got a 3 because you made 4 careless mistakes, and you've been continuing to study math since then, then you are ready for WOOT. If you got a 3 because you guessed lucky twice, and you haven't done anything since, then don't sign up for WOOT. If you think you're borderline, but are willing to spend 3-5 hours a week working through Art of Problem Solving Volume 2 for the rest of the summer, then you should feel comfortable signing up for WOOT. (Also, if you're tenacious, willing to ask questions, etc., you should be OK)

baydragon (20:01:34)
Is this class everyday?

nsato (20:05:50)
Each class will be held on a Monday and Tuesday. Also, classes will be held approximately every other week. Again, you can consult the schedule.

nsato (20:05:59)
Sorry, that should say Monday and Thursday.

rrusczyk (20:06:31)
Are there any more questions?

humanbeing (20:07:31)
Are there a fix time for each class?

nsato (20:08:26)
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Classes/AoPS_C_WOOTSchedule.php

nsato (20:09:02)
Quoting from this page: ""Each class will be held on two dates, as shown. The first class will always be on a Monday, and held at 7:30-9:30 PM ET/4:30-6:30 PM PT. The second class will always be on a Thursday, and held at 9:00-11:00 PM ET/6:00-8:00 PM PT.""

sakm5510@hotmail.com (20:07:47)
do students go through more than one iteration of WOOT to help with their preparation?

rrusczyk (20:08:32)
Yes; we have had many students take WOOT more than once. The classes and assignments change from year to year, so repeat students see new material.

PI-Dimension (20:09:05)
what subject classes are near the level of WOOT

rrusczyk (20:10:47)
The Intermediate Counting, Intermediate Number Theory, and Intermediate Trig/Complex Numbers classes all have some WOOT-level material. (All of these classes are, on average, easier than WOOT, but they do have plenty of material that overlaps with the easier half of WOOT).

rrusczyk (20:11:15)
Any more questions?

nsato (20:12:27)
Thank you for coming to the WOOT Math Jam. If you think of questions later, you can email them to us at classes@artofproblemsolving.com.

nsato (20:12:33)
We look forward to working with you in WOOT this year!

SorcererofDM (20:12:46)
How are the classes designed to make us better at AMC?

rrusczyk (20:14:14)
WOOT is not designed for the AMC. Our earlier classes are. They are designed to make you better in a number of ways: (1) teaching important problem solving approaches that you don't see in your classroom; (2) teaching important mathematical tools that you need to solve the problems; and (3) giving you lots of challenging practice problems that help you hone your skills one problems like those that appear on the AMC.

rrusczyk (20:15:30)
That's it for the Math Jam - if you have any more questions about our classes, please write us at classes@artofproblemsolving.com!