| Transcript
for the Math
Jam "WOOT Math Jam"
on Sep 8. |
| Math Jam hosted by rrusczyk
(Richard Rusczyk ). |
rrusczyk19:30:03
Welcome to today's WOOT Math Jam!
rrusczyk19:30:23
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.
rrusczyk19:30:32
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.
rrusczyk19:31:07
Today we're here to answer questions that you may have about WOOT!
rrusczyk19:31:11
WOOT stands for Worldwide Online Olympiad Training.
rrusczyk19:31:15
Plus, it's fun to say... "Woot!"
Math Champion19:31:19
could you introduce the instructors please?
rrusczyk19:31:46
Good idea! My name is Richard Rusczyk. I founded Art of Problem Solving in 2003, and wrote several of the AoPS textbooks.
rrusczyk19:32:09
I was a USAMO winner in 1989 (and scored a perfect 15 on the AIME that year), and went to the Math Olympiad Program 3 times.
rrusczyk19:32:40
I have taught dozens and dozens of students who have been to the Math Olympiad Program over the last 6 years, as have many of the other Art of Problem Solving instructors.
smartalec1719:32:57
did you make the international math olympiad or was that the camp
rrusczyk19:32:59
I was an alternate for the team in 1989.
rrusczyk19:33:03
WOOT is a 7-month online training program for students who are preparing for their national math Olympiad or the International Mathematical Olympiad. WOOT 2009-10 will run from September 2009 to April 2010.
rrusczyk19:33:11
WOOT is sponsored by D. E. Shaw group, Jane Street Capital, and Two Sigma Investments, LLC:
rrusczyk19:33:19
rrusczyk19:33:42
rrusczyk19:33:49
rrusczyk19:34:03
Why WOOT?
rrusczyk19:34:08
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.
rrusczyk19:34:45
Specifically, WOOT will include the following activities:
rrusczyk19:34:49
(1) 16 2-hour online lectures. Each class will be offered twice to alleviate time conflicts.
rrusczyk19:34:54
(2) 8 handouts that will contain articles and practice problems, that will help students prepare for the lectures.
rrusczyk19:35:00
(3) 3 Practice AIME-style tests and 6 Practice Olympiad-style tests.
rrusczyk19:35:05
(4) Detailed feedback on student work on each practice Olympiad.
rrusczyk19:35:10
(5) WOOT message board for discussing lectures, post-lecture problem lists, and past WOOT tests.
rrusczyk19:35:22
(6) 24-hour online classroom access for WOOT participants to collaborate.
rrusczyk19:35:29
Numerous International Math Olympiad participants and USA Mathematical Olympiad winners (including the current Art of Problem Solving instructors) will be WOOT instructors.
rrusczyk19:35:37
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, 2009 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.
rrusczyk19:36:01
The tuition for WOOT is $845.
rrusczyk19:36:17
Here is the URL for the WOOT page:
rrusczyk19:36:29
As you see, class is pretty small tonight, so this won't be a very long Math Jam. This also means I'll definitely be able to get to all your questions! (Our last Math Jam had over 300 questions asked -- I didn't quite get to all of them!)
rrusczyk19:36:41
We won't be doing any math tonight, only question & answer.
rrusczyk19:36:48
Speaking of which, it's time for questions!
smartalec1719:36:59
who is going to teach WOOT?
rrusczyk19:37:06
Most of our instructors are listed here:
rts200719:37:41
Will WOOT help on the AIME?
rrusczyk19:37:42
Yes; we have 3 practice tests, and many problems that will help with AIME. Some of the handouts and classes will be aimed at AIME level, too.
RiteshR19:37:59
Do you have do be an expert at proofs to understand the concepts in WOOT?
rrusczyk19:38:01
No. Part of the point of WOOT is to help you develop proof skills.
jjx119:39:09
Should I take w00t with a 4 on AIME
theprodigy19:39:10
so 5+ on AIME is good enough for the class
rrusczyk19:39:12
Possibly; it depends on what sort of learner you are. Much of WOOT will be very challenging for you, and our Intermediate classes might be more appropriate for you, but if you ask good questions, and like a challenge, it might well fit for you.
RiteshR19:39:37
What AIME score do you think is required to understand WOOT?
rrusczyk19:39:39
You should be comfortable if you're at 6-8 on the AIME. If you are at 4 or 5, then see my answer above.
rts200719:39:58
Since WOOT has such a large number of participants, will it be divided into batches, or will all 250 participants be in the same classroom at once?
rrusczyk19:40:00
They'll be randomly split into groups at class time -- we won't have 250 in the room at once!!
aunch19:40:09
who can join WOOT
rrusczyk19:40:11
Anyone is allowed to enroll.
icemathematician719:40:39
so most of the problems in WOOT are proof problems, right?
rrusczyk19:40:41
A significant portion of them are, yes. At least 2/3.
RiteshR19:40:50
What topics do you cover?
rrusczyk19:40:57
The primary schedule is here:
rrusczyk19:41:06
That has all the topics that will be in classes.
rrusczyk19:41:13
Other topics will be covered on the message board and in handouts.
aunch19:41:40
will WOOT help on MATHCOUNTS
rrusczyk19:41:41
No; WOOT is far beyond MATHCOUNTS.
artofproblem19:42:05
Is there anything that can help me on the SATs?
rrusczyk19:42:07
Not in WOOT. Our Introduction level classes would help with the SATs, but they are not the main purpose of our classes.
theprodigy19:42:50
how many levels are there?
rrusczyk19:42:52
There are three levels for the practice olympiads: beginner, intermediate, advanced. The first is roughly the difficulty of the middle of the AIME, and the last is the difficulty of the USAMO. The middle is, well, in the middle.
pyropower319:43:03
Is there a level beyond WOOT
rrusczyk19:43:04
College :)
Math Champion19:43:19
what if you miss a lecture for WOOT? will there be transcipts like the other classes?
rrusczyk19:43:21
Yes, there are transcripts for all of the WOOT classes.
happystuff12319:43:35
woot classroom is like this mathjam, no voice and use text only?
rrusczyk19:43:36
That is correct.
rrusczyk19:43:41
This link explains why:
smartalec1719:44:16
what score would you reccomend on the AMC 12 for WOOT?
rrusczyk19:44:18
I'd focus more on AIME/USAMO scores if you have them. Nearly all the math we do in WOOT is sufficiently beyond the AMC 12 that those scores aren't particularly applicable.
lilyidi19:44:23
How hard are the questions?
rrusczyk19:44:40
There are some samples on the detailed description linked on the schedule page:
artofproblem19:44:50
So this is for preparation for the Olympic competitions? (math)
rrusczyk19:44:52
For high school olympiads, yes.
RiteshR19:45:19
How are you going to give detailed feedback to all the students?
rrusczyk19:45:21
Via the internet. We have a large grading team at Harvard/MIT who write most of the feedback.
Math Champion19:45:45
is it just people that qualify for USAMO, or do you have to get a good score in order to understand WOOT?
rrusczyk19:45:46
If you qualify for the USAMO already, you are ready for WOOT.
aunch19:46:32
will we get homework
rrusczyk19:46:34
There are practice tests, handouts with problems, and message board problems after each class. There's also lots of extra discussion on the message board. It's unlikely you'll ever run out of problems.
rts200719:47:01
how many problems are discussed in each lecture???
rrusczyk19:47:03
5-6 in hard classes, 10-12 in easier ones. And there will be a dozen or so message board problems after each class.
pyropower319:47:42
How do you get to AIME and USAMO
rrusczyk19:47:44
See the AMC website: www.unl.edu/amc
RiteshR19:48:07
What do you mean by coloring arguments?
smartalec1719:48:11
could you give us a sample problem?
rrusczyk19:48:13
There are a couple sample "coloring" problems in the class description handout:
Math Champion19:49:13
by "lecture", do you mean that the instructor just goes through the problems? or will we have a chance to actually try solving them?
rrusczyk19:49:15
The classes are very interactive. The instructor gives the problem and guides a discussion that (hopefully!) arrives at a solution.
rrusczyk19:50:11
The instructors ask a lot of questions along the way. You shouldn't just be passively accepting knowledge all the time. You should be thinking and trying to solve the problems throughout class, and sharing your insights and asking questions.
mathemagician172919:50:21
Is the material covered in WOOT similar to Problem Solving Strategies?
rrusczyk19:50:23
Similar complexity, yes.
rts200719:50:52
will the topics covered in this year's WOOT be the same topics in next year's WOOT?
rrusczyk19:50:54
No; we will cover different topics for the most part next year. There may be small overlaps in subject here and there, but no overlap of problems.
artofproblem19:51:30
Would it be possible to understand WOOT if you haven't taken the AIME?
rrusczyk19:51:32
Yes, if you are at the mathematical level at which you can get around half of the problems on a typical AIME
RiteshR19:52:24
Would WOOT be Putnam level?
rrusczyk19:52:26
Some of it will be applicable to the Putnam, but it is not intended to cover the topics for the Putnam (some topics are on the Putnam that are not on olympiads, and vice versa)
KolLena19:52:43
Are most proofs for numerical questions, or are there more general questions (major theorems, for example) to prove?
rrusczyk19:52:45
A great many of the proofs are for non-numerical problems.
Math Champion19:52:51
what's Putnam?
rrusczyk19:52:53
A college contest.
bigapple19:53:38
I am still in the 8th Grade. I have completed your introductory series of books. I understand I am not yet ready for WOOT. Please guide what I should do in next 12 months. I would like to give a serious try to AMC & AIME tests in Feb 2011 and hope to qualify for the Olympiad camp. Please help me how I should structure my study program with the help of AOPs
rrusczyk19:53:39
Work through the Intermediate books. Start with Algebra, then Counting & Probability and Precalculus (the precalc book will be out later in the fall).
icemathematician719:54:07
so WOOT is basically for people who do OK on the AIME?
rrusczyk19:54:09
Either "OK" or "outstanding", yes.
dinapro19:54:29
is a 6 okay on the AIME?
rrusczyk19:54:31
It's OK, yes, and borderline passing.
dinapro19:55:04
so is this college level math?
rrusczyk19:55:06
Hard to compare to college -- there is material that is "collegiate", and will be problems that are easily as hard as what you'll see in college.
mathemagician172919:56:18
What are the advantages of taking WOOT over self study?
rrusczyk19:56:20
Peer group, feedback, interaction with experienced instructors, practice tests.
RiteshR19:56:43
When in Intermediate Geo coming out? Int. Number Theory?
rrusczyk19:56:45
We don't have those scheduled yet. Might be a few years.
rrusczyk19:57:03
Are there any more questions?
rrusczyk19:57:37
We had a much larger and longer WOOT Math Jam last month.
rrusczyk19:57:42
The transcript for that Math Jam is here:
RiteshR19:57:47
In the classes, do we do mostly previous olympiad or AIME problems?
rrusczyk19:58:15
Yes, we do a lot of problems that come from past tests (though most of them are from non-US tests, since many of our students have seen many of those problems).
rrusczyk19:58:32
No -- most students pick and choose what to do based on the time they have available.
termantiger19:58:35
Are we expected to do everything that is assigned in the class? Because I have some time constraints :/
KolLena19:59:18
Do we get several solutions for the proofs?
rrusczyk19:59:20
Some of them, yes. Not all of the problems have several decent solutions.
bigapple19:59:26
I must say that I am very impressed with the AoPS classes, books and feedback. Thanks for everything.
rrusczyk19:59:27
Thanks :)
Math Champion19:59:40
how do you submit the hw?
rrusczyk19:59:42
Fax or email. There will be thorough instructions for this.
RiteshR20:01:25
What if u have no idea how to do the hw?
rrusczyk20:01:28
Then you ask questions on the WOOT message board. Keep in mind, there are few places where there is such a concentration of mathematically talented people who are willing to share their knowledge. Many of the best students in country, and some from all over the world, together with assistants and instructors who have experience teaching students like you.
lilyidi20:01:46
do you have to finish every single question?
rrusczyk20:01:48
No; no one solves them all!
RiteshR20:01:57
Thats why AoPS rocks!
rrusczyk20:01:59
:)
rrusczyk20:02:43
Any more questions?
RiteshR20:03:25
Will it be the same fee next year?
rrusczyk20:03:41
I don't know. It has been the same for the last couple years, and I don't anticipate it changing.
rrusczyk20:03:44
But . . .
Math Champion20:03:46
inflation
rrusczyk20:03:57
If inflation hits, the price could go up.
icemathematician720:04:33
how much time will we have to do the hw?
rrusczyk20:04:35
I think it's around a week to turn in the Practice tests. The other problems -- on the message board and the handouts -- you don't turn in, so you can do those at whatever pace you like.
RiteshR20:06:42
Do you also discuss how to come up w/ solutions? When I see a new, hard question, I always wonder how someone thinks of the answer.
rrusczyk20:06:44
Absolutely -- a big part of what we do in general is to try to train people to learn how to think of solutions in general. We just think math happens to be a good way to do that.
jjx120:07:26
what if you don't finish the hw on time
rrusczyk20:07:28
We enforce the deadlines on the practice tests strictly, because grading is tough to arrange, and because you can't let deadlines slide when you're taking the real tests!
daydreamer111620:08:31
How well do students who participate in WOOT do on the competitions after they've participated?
rrusczyk20:08:33
Well. Most of the USAMO winners from the last few years are past WOOT students (there's pretty big selection bias there because the MOPpers are all in WOOT). We also had a team of WOOTers (and not the MOPper WOOTers) win the Harvard/MIT competition a few years ago. We were very proud of them!
RiteshR20:08:41
WIll WOOT be beyond USAMTS?
rrusczyk20:08:43
Much of it will, yes.
Math Champion20:08:56
will there be an overall grade after you finish the class (like A, B, C...)?
rrusczyk20:08:58
There is not a grade in the course.
lilyidi20:09:33
how many questions do we have for hw?
rrusczyk20:09:34
I'd think of it more in terms of time. You should expect to spend 5-7 hours/week to get the most out of it, but you can arrange that time as you like -- some weeks you might do 10 hours, others nearly nothing.
RiteshR20:09:59
Do you know how the USA did in the IMO this year?
rrusczyk20:10:02
6th
Math Champion20:10:04
do you need an AoPS account to join WOOT?
rrusczyk20:10:06
Yes
rrusczyk20:10:25
I'm guessing that's not a problem for all of you here tonight ;)
rrusczyk20:10:32
Any more questions?
rrusczyk20:10:52
For those of you who want to see some math in a Math Jam, here's our schedule:
rrusczyk20:11:16
The Classes Math Jams will have some math, along with Question & Answer.
rrusczyk20:11:50
Note also that we will have an MIT Math Jam in October with an admissions officer and an MIT professor (who was an IMO gold medalist a few times for the US)
lilyidi20:12:09
who is it?
rrusczyk20:12:18
Matt McGann and Kiran Kedlaya
rrusczyk20:13:20
Any more questions?
rrusczyk20:13:58
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.
