Math Jams

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:32:33
Hello, and welcome to an Art of Problem Solving Math Jam. Today we'll be discussing Art of Problem Solving classes. We'll start with a few sample problems, so you can get a little taste of what the classes are like. Then, I'll give an overview of how our courses work, and answer any questions you may have about the courses.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:32:54
My name is Richard Rusczyk. I founded Art of Problem Solving and have written several Art of Problem Solving textbooks.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:33:04
Before we get started I would like to take a moment to explain our Virtual Classroom to those who have not previously participated in a Math Jam or one of our online classes.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:33:14
The classroom is moderated: students can type into the classroom, but only the moderators can choose a comment to drop into the classroom. So, when you send a message, it will not appear immediately, and may not appear at all. This helps keep the class organized and on track. Also, only moderators can enter into private chats with other people in the classroom.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:33:29
In general in our classes, we have assistant instructors in all of our classes, and all math questions get answered by the primary instructor of the assistants. Tonight, since there are so many of you, we might not be able to answer *every single math question*, but we get to them all in the classes.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:33:50
Our assistant tonight is Shannon Rogers, a curriculum developer here at Art of Problem Solving working on our new project, Beast Academy (www.beastacademy.com).

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:33:57
A couple of you have asked about sound. There is no sound in the classroom. This webpage explains why:

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:34:01
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/School/index.php?page=howclassroomworks

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:34:12
You can read that later; you don't have to check it out now. There will be a full transcript of this class available on the Math Jam pages about an hour after we finish.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:34:40
As for questions about the classes, we will try to answer all of those tonight. I will let you know when to start asking questions about specific classes.

janety101 2012-05-29 19:34:43
so when are we going to finish?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:34:56
When we run out of questions, or when my fingers fall off.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:35:04
Note that you can adjust the sizing of the classroom to your liking; feel free to experiment with it! For example, most of the bars between sections of the room can be slid around. And you can change the text size with the little box with the number on it (it's right above the box where you type).

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:35:29
In this Math Jam, we will start off by doing a few sample problems. These will be drawn from our Introduction to Counting & Probability course. We won't be doing problems from all of the courses tonight, since that would take too long. Instead, we'll just do a batch of problems at the beginning of the Math Jam, and discuss the courses for the remainder of the class.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:35:43
If you're just here to discuss the courses, you can tune out for 15-20 minutes while we do some math. You can also read more about how our courses work here:

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:35:48
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/School/index.php?page=classinformation

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:35:51
And you can read more about our online classroom here:

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:35:55
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/School/index.php?page=howclassroomworks

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:36:03
Before we get started, I'd like to note that the mathematics we will discuss today covers a wide range of difficulty. Moreover, I know that many of you are here just to check out the classroom before your classes start.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:36:14
Please understand that if you are enrolled in one of our introductory classes, or haven't much experience yet with advanced problem solving, then much of the material we cover tonight might be well beyond you right now. We won't be able to teach you all the math you need to understand this material in one night! So, don't be frustrated if you don't understand the problems we discuss for those classes -- your time will come!

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:36:27
One quick note before we start on the math. While the discussion tonight will be similar to that in our classes, there are a few differences between tonight and the typical class.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:36:37
There is a much wider range of students here tonight than in our typical classes. So, some of you will find tonight's material very, very easy, and others will find it very, very hard. Also, because there's such a wide spread of students, we typically end up going a bit faster in the Math Jam than we do in class.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:36:58
Furthermore, there are many more students here tonight than in a typical class. In our classes, we get to all the student questions, and everyone who is participating gets lots of "air time" in the classroom. We also often have an extra assistant in our usual classes.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:37:17
So, tonight won't be as much fun as our classes usually are, and you won't be able to get all of your math questions answered. But in our courses, you'll get to interact a lot more with the teachers during class, and you'll get your math questions answered.

soniap 2012-05-29 19:37:45
can we see the video of instruction. I mean how does the instruction take place?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:37:55
Let's see how the instruction takes place right now!

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:38:02
Ready for a little math?

ElRancho3 2012-05-29 19:38:12
Yes.

mensaaaron 2012-05-29 19:38:12
yes

ilikescrews325 2012-05-29 19:38:12
yes

Aequilipse 2012-05-29 19:38:12

yup

annieysong 2012-05-29 19:38:12
yepp!!

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:38:20
Suppose we have a group of 4 girls and 3 boys and we wish to seat them in a row of 7 chairs. In how many ways can the students be seated?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:38:23
Note that I can stick the problem to the top of the classroom, so it won't scroll away while we discuss it; you can adjust the bar between it and the rest of the room.

math2go 2012-05-29 19:39:00
Are the girls and boys distinct?

Mycroft 2012-05-29 19:39:00
Are the same-gendered children distinct?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:39:01
They sure think so!

tanisha 2012-05-29 19:39:24
7!

Mathlete696 2012-05-29 19:39:24
7!

annieysong 2012-05-29 19:39:24
7! ways

sarvottam 2012-05-29 19:39:24
7!

SDG 2012-05-29 19:39:24
7!

math2go 2012-05-29 19:39:32
So then it would still be 7! then

KoshDVorlan 2012-05-29 19:39:32
7!

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:39:35
You all seem very excited about the number 7.... Or does that exclamation point mean something special?

EpicSkills32 2012-05-29 19:39:58
factorial!

mathperson271 2012-05-29 19:39:58
Factorial

SchuneFu 2012-05-29 19:39:58
factorial

rekhapai 2012-05-29 19:39:58
factorial

williamcho9 2012-05-29 19:39:58
it means factorial

knittingfrenzy18 2012-05-29 19:39:58
It means factorial.

galwayflute 2012-05-29 19:39:58
factorial, right?

ilikescrews325 2012-05-29 19:39:58
7 factorial

Mycroft 2012-05-29 19:39:58
Factorial! Factorials are very exciting!

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:40:01
Factorial? What does that mean?

Ultimate_draco 2012-05-29 19:40:40
It means 7*6*5*4*3*2

crastybow 2012-05-29 19:40:40
7! means 7 factorial, which is 7*6*5*4*3*2*1

sarvottam 2012-05-29 19:40:40
7 times 6 times 5 times 4 times 3 times 2 times 1

turkeybob777 2012-05-29 19:40:40
7*6*5*4*3*2*1

janety101 2012-05-29 19:40:40
7 x 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1

xujiang 2012-05-29 19:40:40
the product of the numbers from the number before the ! to 1

Ultimate_draco 2012-05-29 19:40:40
7*6*5*4*3*2

Blackish 2012-05-29 19:40:40
7*6*5*4*3*2*1

MathIsFun99 2012-05-29 19:40:40
7 factorial = 7*6*5*4*3*2*1= 5040

KoshDVorlan 2012-05-29 19:40:40
n! = n * n-1 * n-2 ... * 1

Mathlete696 2012-05-29 19:40:40
7! equals 7*6*5*4*3*2*1

demonhead 2012-05-29 19:40:40
7! =7x6x5x4x3x2x1

peanut22 2012-05-29 19:40:40
7x6x5x4x3x2x1

williamcho9 2012-05-29 19:40:45
you multiply all of the numbers below it up until 1, so for example 7!=7*6*5*4*3*2*1

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:40:46
Ah, you're saying this problem is just a multiplication problem! That's right!

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:41:05
Why is this just a multiplication problem?

Aequilipse 2012-05-29 19:42:10

sarvottam 2012-05-29 19:42:10
There are 7 choices for first seat, 6 for second, so forth

janety101 2012-05-29 19:42:10
because the first person can sit in seven chairs, but the second can only sit in six unoccupied chairs, and so on

KoshDVorlan 2012-05-29 19:42:10
because if you take the seats, you can choose one of 7 people to sit in the first, one of 6 to sit in the second etc.

knittingfrenzy18 2012-05-29 19:42:10
Because for each person who can sit in the first seat, we have 6 to choose from to sit in the next seat. For each set of two first people, there is 5 for the third. So on.

rivel100 2012-05-29 19:42:10
because you can have 7 people in the first seat 6 in the second 5 in the 4th .... 1 in the 7th seat

crastybow 2012-05-29 19:42:10
For example, 7 different children could sit in the first seat, 6 in the second, etc

vonneumann13 2012-05-29 19:42:10
Because there are seven choices for the first seat. After that, there are six choices for each of the seven choices for the second seat. Thus, there are 42 ways to fill out the first two seats. The process continues down the line.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:42:21
There are 7 students who could sit in the first seat. For each of these choices we make for the first seat, there are six ways to choose a student for the next seat, so there are 7 x 6 ways to seat the first two students.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:42:27
Continuing in this vein, for each of these 7 x 6 ways to seat the first two students, there are 5 ways to pick a student for the third seat. Thus, there are 7 x 6 x 5 ways to seat the first three students.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:42:43
We keep going like this: there are 4 ways to seat the fourth student, 3 ways to seat the fifth, 2 ways to seat the sixth, and one way to seat the last student. This gives us 7 x 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 ways to seat all the students.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:42:49
We run into products like 7 x 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 so much in mathematics that we have a symbol and a name for it. We write 7 x 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 7! and we call this 'seven factorial'.

knittingfrenzy18 2012-05-29 19:42:59

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:43:16
Exactly -- we can define the factorial similarly for any positive integer.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:43:24
For example: 6! = 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 720.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:43:32
What does 7! equal?

yrushi 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

rivel100 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

rekhapai 2012-05-29 19:43:55
7! is 5040

MathIsFun99 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

demonhead 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

rulemath 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

Snigdha_Allaparthi 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

crastybow 2012-05-29 19:43:55
$5040$

Mualpha7 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

EpicSkills32 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

OdeToMelanie 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

flowerpower 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

turkeybob777 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

mbay18 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

annieysong 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

dolapobj 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

Mathlete696 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

williamcho9 2012-05-29 19:43:55
7!=5040

penswirls 2012-05-29 19:43:55
4200

mathperson271 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

Aequilipse 2012-05-29 19:43:55

knittingfrenzy18 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

hoopster3 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

jpsanghan 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

chess1921 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

ji10bhatt 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

ilikescrews325 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

ilikepie57 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

booksgalore 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5,040.

Aequilipse 2012-05-29 19:43:55
$7!=5040$

dantx5 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

AnaghaS 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040=7!

xujiang 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

soniap 2012-05-29 19:43:55
5040

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:44:01
Well, you can't all be wrong!

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:44:02
We have 7! = 7*6*5*4*3*2*1 = 7*(6!) = 7*(720) = 5040.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:44:22
That problem was pretty simple. Let's put a wrinkle in it. Suppose we must have a girl in the first chair and a girl in the last chair. Then how many seatings are there?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:44:50
What's wrong with this answer:

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:44:53
There are 4 ways to choose the girl for the first chair. After that, we have 6 students left for the next chair, then 5 for the next, and so on, giving us a total of:

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:44:56
4 x 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 seatings.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:44:59
What's wrong with that?

dantx5 2012-05-29 19:45:57
there needs to be a girl in the last chair

OdeToMelanie 2012-05-29 19:45:57
that doesn't ensure the last chair is also a girl

turkeybob777 2012-05-29 19:45:57
because then all the girls might be seated before the last chair

rivel100 2012-05-29 19:45:57
the last one might not be a girl

lily6481 2012-05-29 19:45:57
There's no guarantee there's a girl in the last chair.

Piglet 2012-05-29 19:45:57
you need a girl in the last seat

Jasonion 2012-05-29 19:45:57
the last chair

NatsuDragneel764 2012-05-29 19:45:57
that doesnt say that there has to be a girl in last chair?

rulemath 2012-05-29 19:46:01
a girl has to be in the last chair

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:46:04
The problem here is the last chair - we must have a girl in that last chair, but our approach above definitely does not guarantee this. We might end up with a boy left at the end, which would violate the problem.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:46:09
How are we going to deal with that?

ychen428 2012-05-29 19:46:57
you have to choose the girl for the last chair first

crastybow 2012-05-29 19:46:57
First consider the first and last chairs

C00LDUDE 2012-05-29 19:46:57
ends first

xujiang 2012-05-29 19:46:57
consider the first and last chairs first, then deal with the middle

Smiley-Faces-88 2012-05-29 19:46:57
seat first and last then everybody else

Mathlete696 2012-05-29 19:46:57
First satisfy the condition

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:47:06
We can think to ourselves 'How would we seat the kids according to these restrictions if we had to make up a seating ourselves?' Our answer is: we'd seat the girls at the ends first, so we make sure we satisfy that restriction. What do we find?

ifailz 2012-05-29 19:48:17
4*3*5*4*3*2

jaysakthi 2012-05-29 19:48:17
you do: 4*5*4*3*2*1*3

Mycroft 2012-05-29 19:48:17
4(first chair)*3(last chair)*5*4*3*2*1

OdeToMelanie 2012-05-29 19:48:17
4 choices for the girl in the first chair, 3 choices for the girl in the last chair, and you have 4 x 3 x (5!) = 1440

xujiang 2012-05-29 19:48:17
4 x 3 x 5!=1440

Smiley-Faces-88 2012-05-29 19:48:17
4*3*5*4*3*2*1

peanut22 2012-05-29 19:48:17
4x3x5x4x3x2x1

yrushi 2012-05-29 19:48:17

foreverhapp 2012-05-29 19:48:17
4*3*5*4*3*2*1

janety101 2012-05-29 19:48:17
4 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 x 4

sarvottam 2012-05-29 19:48:17
4 x 3 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1= 1440

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:48:26
As before, there are 4 ways to seat a girl in the first seat. Next we seat a second girl in the last seat - there are 3 girls left, so there are 3 choices. Now we have our restriction taken care of. We can then seat the rest of the students as before. There are 5 students left to choose one for the second chair, then 4 students for the third chair, and so on.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:48:34
Thus, we have 4 x 3 ways to seat girls at each end, and for each of these seatings we have 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 ways to seat the rest of the students, for a total of:

crastybow 2012-05-29 19:48:43
1440

Smiley-Faces-88 2012-05-29 19:48:45
1440

ReciterOfPi 2012-05-29 19:48:48
1440

jaysakthi 2012-05-29 19:48:48
1440

Mathlete696 2012-05-29 19:48:48
1440

sarvottam 2012-05-29 19:48:48
1440

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:48:49
4 x 3 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 1440

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:48:55
ways to seat the students such that there is a girl on either end.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:48:59
This example brings up two important counting concepts.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:49:02
First, when dealing with a counting problem that has restrictions, it often pays to think about how you would create one possible arrangement yourself. Here, we realize that if we seated the students ourselves, we'd start with the girls on the ends. This brings us to our second important counting concept:

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:49:18
When dealing with restrictions, it usually helps to deal with the restrictions first. Here, we took care of the girls on the ends first since that was our restriction.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:49:23
I've noticed a few of you saying that these problems are too hard or are too easy. Remember, this is a sample class. Not all of our classes are this hard or this easy!

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:49:43
Also, in our classes, if you don't understand something, you just speak up, and someone will help you. (Tonight, we have way too many students to get to every question, but our classes have fewer students and more assistants.)

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:49:50
However, there are other clever ways for dealing with restrictions. Let's check a couple others out:

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:49:57
We still have 7 students to seat in a row, but two of them, Ali and Brianna, refuse to sit next to each other. In how many ways can we seat the students now?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:50:02
What's wrong with this solution:

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:50:07
There are 7 ways to seat Ali. We deal with the restriction first and realize that we can't seat Brianna in either of the seats next to Ali. Hence, Brianna has 4 choices. Then the next student has 5 choices, the one after that has 4 choices, and so on.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:50:10
What's wrong?

flyrain 2012-05-29 19:50:57
What if Ali is at one of the ends?

Mycroft 2012-05-29 19:50:57
Ali could be on an end

ReciterOfPi 2012-05-29 19:50:57
What if Ali sat at the end?

xujiang 2012-05-29 19:50:57
Ali could be on either end, so he only has one adjacent chair

knittingfrenzy18 2012-05-29 19:50:57
What about end seats? what if Ali sits in an end seat?

rekhapai 2012-05-29 19:50:57
the end seats

hoopster3 2012-05-29 19:50:57
What if Ali was at one of the ends

demonhead 2012-05-29 19:50:57
if ali sits on the side..you have to account for the arrangement here as well.

Wave778817 2012-05-29 19:50:57
ali could be on an edge

booksgalore 2012-05-29 19:50:57
If Ali is sitting on the first or last seats, Brianna would then have 5 choices of chairs.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:51:04
The problem here is that there are not always 2 seats next to Ali - sometimes he may be put at the end. Hence, sometimes Brianna will have 5 choices for her seat.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:51:20
Hurm. How will we deal with that?

jcalso 2012-05-29 19:51:56
Its a two step problem

NatsuDragneel764 2012-05-29 19:51:56
write two ways?

vonneumann13 2012-05-29 19:52:00
Well, maybe break the problem up: case 1: Ali is on end; case 2: he's not.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:52:10
We could deal with this by using casework (and we'll discuss very important casework strategies in the course - these tricky casework problems are often the difference in proceeding to the next level in MATHCOUNTS/AMC), but there is another approach. What else could we do?

Smiley-Faces-88 2012-05-29 19:52:40
Find the opposite!

yrushi 2012-05-29 19:52:40
subtract the possibilities where they sit next to each other from the total possibilities

Ultimate_draco 2012-05-29 19:52:40
Counting what we don't want

williamcho9 2012-05-29 19:52:40
Couldn't you just find the total amount of ways they are next to each other, then subtract that from the total amount of ways?

lily6481 2012-05-29 19:52:40
Count the ways they can sit together and subtract from 7!

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:52:47
What makes this problem hard is the restriction that Ali and Brianna are not adjacent. We know there are 7! ways to seat the students without any restrictions.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:52:51
Instead of counting our desired seatings directly, we count what we don't want and subtract.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:52:59
We have a fancy name for this:

sarvottam 2012-05-29 19:53:09
Complementary counting!!

lily6481 2012-05-29 19:53:09
Complementary Counting!

yrushi 2012-05-29 19:53:09
complementary counting

Ultimate_draco 2012-05-29 19:53:09
Complementary Counting

ReciterOfPi 2012-05-29 19:53:09
COMPLEMENTARY COUNTING

hoopster3 2012-05-29 19:53:09
Use complementary counting

sarvottam 2012-05-29 19:53:09
Complementary counting!!

Snigdha_Allaparthi 2012-05-29 19:53:15
complementary counting

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:53:18
We know there are 7! ways without restrictions, so we will try to count those that violate our restriction that Ali and Brianna are separate. We'll then subtract these violators from our total.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:53:24
In how many ways can we do the seating if Ali and Brianna are together?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:53:30
Again, we could seat Ali and then note that Brianna has . . . uh-oh. Brianna might have 1 or 2 choices. We don't want to do casework. What can we do with Ali and Brianna to easily count those cases in which they are together?

flyrain 2012-05-29 19:54:10
treat them as one person

lily6481 2012-05-29 19:54:10
Stick them into one person

foreverhapp 2012-05-29 19:54:10
stick them together

yrushi 2012-05-29 19:54:10
make them one person

knittingfrenzy18 2012-05-29 19:54:10
Make an AliBrianna.

sarvottam 2012-05-29 19:54:10
Make them a super-human (combine them into 1)

Mycroft 2012-05-29 19:54:10
Treat them as one unit, so there are noweffectively only six students

lixian 2012-05-29 19:54:10
think about them as one group

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:54:24
We can pretend Ali and Brianna are one person: AliBrianna. Then, we have 6 students and we have no restrictions. Thus, we have 6! ways to seat these students. But what do we have to remember?

xujiang 2012-05-29 19:55:03
6! x 2!, count tham as a big block, then 2 arrangements within the block

hoopster3 2012-05-29 19:55:03
bundle them together as a pair and do 6! but multiply by 2 because you can arrange them in 2 ways to get 6!*2=1440

Smiley-Faces-88 2012-05-29 19:55:03
they are two seperate *2

yrushi 2012-05-29 19:55:03
multiply by 2, because they can be ordered in 2 ways

foreverhapp 2012-05-29 19:55:03
there is an opposite: BriannaAli -you can flip them

lily6481 2012-05-29 19:55:03
There are 2 ways to arrange Ali and Brianna

galwayflute 2012-05-29 19:55:03
Brianna can be on either side of Ali

knittingfrenzy18 2012-05-29 19:55:03
To arrange Ali and Brianna as AliBrianna or BriannaAli. Now multiply by 2.

MathIsFun99 2012-05-29 19:55:03
pretend they take up one spot since they must sit next to each other so 6!, then multiply by two because they can be switched

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:55:08
Ali and Brianna are not the same person. They could be AliBrianna or BriannaAli. Thus, for each of our 6! seatings, there are 2 orders in which we can seat Ali and Brianna in their slot. Hence, there are 2 x 6! ways to seat the students such that Ali and Brianna are together.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:55:26
So, is the answer to the problem just 2 x 6! = 1440?

lily6481 2012-05-29 19:56:05
No, subtract from 7!

lixian 2012-05-29 19:56:05
subtract from the total

yrushi 2012-05-29 19:56:05
subtract from the total possibilities

Annie999 2012-05-29 19:56:05
No. You have to subtract 1440 from 7!

agrgordon 2012-05-29 19:56:05
no, subtract that from 7!

ReciterOfPi 2012-05-29 19:56:05
no. Subtract 1440 from 7! or 5040.

dvn 2012-05-29 19:56:05
no do 7!-1440

xujiang 2012-05-29 19:56:05
we have counted what we don't want, so we must subract it from the total, 7!=5040

Aequilipse 2012-05-29 19:56:06
Subtract from the 7!. We're subtracting the unwanted from the total to get the wanted.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:56:28
Ah, that's right! 2 x 6! is the count of what we don't want. We have to subtract this from the total without restrictions.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:56:33
What do we get as our final answer?

crastybow 2012-05-29 19:57:01
So we do 5040-1440 = 3600 ways that they can sit without Ali sitting next to Brianna

rivel100 2012-05-29 19:57:01
3600

foreverhapp 2012-05-29 19:57:01
5040-1440=3600

Jasonion 2012-05-29 19:57:01
3600

Bigbrother96 2012-05-29 19:57:01
3600

rulemath 2012-05-29 19:57:01
3600!

peach1234 2012-05-29 19:57:01
3600

al87289 2012-05-29 19:57:01
3600

ji10bhatt 2012-05-29 19:57:01
3600

mbay18 2012-05-29 19:57:01
3600

jpsanghan 2012-05-29 19:57:01
3600

raquelgo 2012-05-29 19:57:01
3,600

basketball0515 2012-05-29 19:57:09
3600

janety101 2012-05-29 19:57:09
3600

bearz8 2012-05-29 19:57:09
3600 ways

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:57:14
There are 7! ways without restrictions, and 2 x 6! ways for them to be together. This leaves 7! - 2 x 6! ways for them to be apart.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:57:19
Computing this gives 7! - 2 x 6! = 7 x 6! - 2 x 6! = 5 x 6! = 5 x 720 = 3600.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:57:33
This example brings up a couple more important tactics.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:57:37
First, when it looks hard to count something directly, try counting the opposite of what you're asked for. We call this approach complementary counting, since 'complement' in dealing with groups of objects in mathematics roughly means 'opposite'. I also call this 'counting what you don't want'.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:57:44
Second, when your restriction is that some of your items must remain together when putting them in a row, a useful tactic is to consider the items all together as a single item, as we did AliBrianna above. Then you separately consider how many ways you can order the items within the group.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:58:01
These three basic examples show why it is pointless to memorize your way through counting - I can ask zillions of variations of the above questions. Instead of memorizing your way through each variation, you should learn when to add, when to subtract, when to multiply, and when to divide. Since you already know how to perform these operations, once you know when to do them, you know how to count!

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:58:24
The first of these three problems was considerably easier than most of the problems we will do in the Introduction to Counting & Probability course. The second and third are a little closer to the middle in difficulty, though they are still a good bit easier than the average problem.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:58:39
In general in the course we will go through the ideas more gradually than we did here - each idea will be explored with gradually more difficult examples. Thus, the pace at which new ideas are introduced is a little slower than we did here (in which we introduced 4 general tactics in two problems!)

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:58:57
While the discussion tonight was similar to that in our classes, there are a few BIG differences between tonight and the typical class.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:59:09
There is a much wider range of students here tonight than in our typical classes. So, some of you will find tonight's material very, very easy, and others will find it very, very hard. Also, because there's such a wide spread of students, we typically end up going a bit faster in the Math Jam than we do in class.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:59:26
Furthermore, there are way more students here tonight than in a typical class. In our classes, we get to all of the student questions, and everyone who is participating gets lots of "air time" in the classroom. We also often have an extra assistant in our usual classes. So, students get a lot more individual attention in the classes than we can give in these free Math Jams.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 19:59:38
That's it for the math tonight. We will now discuss the courses.

Smiley-Faces-88 2012-05-29 19:59:53
No more math?

vonneumann13 2012-05-29 19:59:53
No more math?????

AkshajK 2012-05-29 19:59:55

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:00:00
Not tonight

jcalso 2012-05-29 20:00:08
awwwman

al87289 2012-05-29 20:00:08
awww

NatsuDragneel764 2012-05-29 20:00:08
awwww

Mycroft 2012-05-29 20:00:08
Sadness

peanut22 2012-05-29 20:00:08
awww.....

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:00:12
I'll go through a quick overview of the classes, and then we'll answer your questions. Please hold your questions until I tell you to start asking them.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:00:25
All of our courses offer full transcripts for each class, so if you're going to miss some classes, you'll still have access to everything that happened in class. Moreover, you'll be able to use the course message board to ask any questions you have outside of class time.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:00:32
Here are all the courses we offer this summer. Unless otherwise noted, each course meets once a week, 7:30 PM - 9 PM ET (4:30 PM - 6 PM PT).

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:00:42
Introductory level: Grades 6-10
Prealgebra 1: Tue, May 29 - Sept 11 (1.25 hours; 7:30-8:45 PM ET) FULL
Prealgebra 1: Wed, Jun 6 - Sept 26 (1.25 hours; 7:30-8:45 PM ET) FULL
Prealgebra 1: Fri, Jul 27 - Nov 9 (1.25 hours; 7:30-8:45 PM ET)
Prealgebra 2: Fri, Jun 1 - Sept 14 (1.25 hours; 7:30-8:45 PM ET)
Prealgebra 2: Mon, Jul 9 - Oct 29 (1.25 hours; 7:30-8:45 PM ET)
Algebra 1: Wed, May 30 - Sept 19 FULL
Algebra 1: Tue, Jun 19 - Oct 2
Introduction to Counting & Probability: Fri, Jun 1 - Aug 17 FULL
Introduction to Counting & Probability: Mon, Jun 25 - Sept 17
Introduction to Number Theory: Wed, Jun 6 - Aug 29
Introduction to Number Theory: Thurs, Jun 14 - Aug 30
Algebra 2: Thurs, Jun 7 - Sept 13 FULL
Algebra 2: Mon, Jun 18 - Oct 1
Introduction to Geometry: Wed, May 30 - Nov 14 FULL
Introduction to Geometry: Mon, Jun 18 - Dec 10
MATHCOUNTS/AMC 8 Basics: Thurs, May 31 - Aug 16 FULL
MATHCOUNTS/AMC 8 Basics: Fri, Jun 8 - Aug 24
Advanced MATHCOUNTS/AMC 8: Tue, Jun 5 - Aug 21
Advanced MATHCOUNTS/AMC 8: Mon, Jun 25 - Sept 17

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:01:09
Note all the courses marked "FULL". So, you'll see what happens if you wait too long -- the courses will fill up and there won't be any more spaces available.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:01:16
Intermediate level: Grades 8-12
Algebra 3: Wed, Jun 6 - Nov 28 FULL
Intermediate Counting and Probability: Thurs, May 31 - Sept 27 FULL
AMC 10 Problem Series: Tue, Jun 5 - Aug 21
AMC 10 Problem Series: Fri, Jun 8 - Aug 24
AMC 12 Problem Series: Thurs, Jun 7 - Aug 23
AMC 12 Problem Series: Fri, Jun 15 - Aug 31
AIME Problem Series A: Tue, Jun 12 - Aug 28
AIME Problem Series B: Fri, Jun 8 - Aug 24

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:01:26
Advanced
Olympiad Geometry: Mon, Jun 11 - Aug 27 (2 hours; 7:30-9:30 PM ET)

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:01:38
Computer Science/Programming
Introduction to Programming: Wed, Jun 6 - Sept 5 FULL
Introduction to Programming: Thurs, Jun 7 - Aug 30 FULL
Game Programming: Tue, Jun 12 - Aug 28

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:02:17
Unless otherwise noted, classes for each course are once a week, 7:30 PM - 9 PM ET (4:30 PM - 6 PM PT). There are no classes on the following dates: July 4, September 3, November 19-23, December 20 - January 2.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:02:23
More details about each course can be found by clicking the appropriate course name here:

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:02:27
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/School/classlist.php

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:02:52
Please note that it is likely that several more of these classes will fill.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:03:05
We offer two types of classes: subject classes and contest prep "problem series" courses. Each course has its own course homepage for enrolled students. On the course homepage, there is a variety of information about the course. Each course also has its own message board on which students can ask questions outside class time. Students even have the ability to ask questions anonymously by using an "Ask a Question" feature on the course homepage.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:03:23
After class each week, we make a class transcript available on the course homepage. So, if you miss a class, you still have access to everything that happened in class. The class transcript also frees you from having to take notes during class. Instead of copying everything down during class, you can focus on the math and think about the problems. The transcript will be there later when you want to review.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:03:51
There is an accompanying textbook for most of the subject classes (not the contest prep problem series or programming courses, nor for Intermediate Number Theory). For each of these courses, there are corresponding readings in the textbook each week. As you might expect, students who work with the textbook in addition to attending class get a lot more out of the courses! The appropriate chapters for each week are listed in the Course Information document that students can access on the course homepage upon enrolling.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:04:13
Four of the courses (Prealgebra 1, Prealgebra 2, Algebra 1, and Introduction to Counting & Probability) are supplemented by AoPS videos.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:04:22
The homework varies from course to course.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:04:41
The Introduction-level subject classes have weekly work with our online learning system (Alcumus).

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:04:46
All of the courses have weekly online problems sets. Students complete these and submit their answers online. Most of these problems are evaluated automatically, and students get immediate feedback. In the subject classes, some of these problems require students to write full solutions. These are evaluated by instructors, and students will receive feedback on the accuracy and presentation of their solutions.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:05:00
Some courses also have problems posted to the message board after each class for extra discussion.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:05:17
To get the most out of the courses, students should spend 5-7 hours/week on the subject courses and 3-4 hours/week on the problem series courses (including class time).

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:05:21
(Don't worry too much about the details of how to turn in homework and such right now -- students who enroll in courses will receive detailed instructions for how to do so.)

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:05:34
There are diagnostic tests available for each of the subject classes. You can find these on the Class Schedule page here: http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/School/classlist.php

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:05:48
I'll take questions about the courses now. Here's the schedule again:

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:05:52
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/School/classlist.php

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:05:57
Please note that I'll probably have a *lot* of questions tonight, so it might take me a little while to get to yours. But I will try to get to all of them!

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:06:01
We will get hundreds of questions in the next 2 hours. We will answer as many as we can. Here are the rules for how we will try process the questions as we receive them.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:06:10
1) The most recent question we see is the one we will answer. Of course, while we're answering that, more will come in. We'll then move to the most recent.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:06:16
2) Please don't spam us: Don't ask the same question over and over in a short amount of time; we'll just ignore those. If we haven't answered your question in 10 minutes, then you can re-post it.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:06:31
3) If you don't feel like waiting for your question to be answered, you can email me at classes@artofproblemsolving.com and I will answer your question this evening or tomorrow morning. If you are asking for a course recommendations, please include the student's math background and I will make recommendations. You can also ask questions using this form: http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Store/personalrec.php

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:06:39
Again, there are a lot of you here tonight, so it will take us a long time to get to all of the questions, and we're bound to miss a few. But if you email me or use the form linked in item #3 above, I will answer your questions by email either later tonight or tomorrow morning, and you won't have to wait here for your question to get answered.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:06:50
Shannon Rogers (srogers) will be helping me answer questions tonight. She manages a variety of aspects of our online school and works on the aforementioned Beast Academy (www.beastacademy.com) project.

srogers 2012-05-29 20:06:58
Hi!

jcalso 2012-05-29 20:07:27
Hi shannon

galwayflute 2012-05-29 20:07:27
hi!

sarvottam 2012-05-29 20:07:27
Hi!!

al87289 2012-05-29 20:07:27
hi

tigerg 2012-05-29 20:07:27
Hi!

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:07:35
All right, let's get to the questions.

sarvottam 2012-05-29 20:07:54
Could you explain Alcumus more?

srogers 2012-05-29 20:07:56
Alcumus is our online learning system that delivers problems to students based on their performance on earlier problems. All of our Intro-level courses include assignments from Alcumus.

geologica 2012-05-29 20:08:03
Do your classes use visuals or just text?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:08:05

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:08:10
That's me!

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:08:18
(Yes, we can make pictures.)

superknight98 2012-05-29 20:09:03
What if we want to take the class but its full?

MathIsFun99 2012-05-29 20:09:03
On average, how many people are there per class?

srogers 2012-05-29 20:09:05
The number of students varies from course to course. Most courses have 30-70 students. We have extra assistants in classes with many students (and those with younger students).

BlueMoon49 2012-05-29 20:09:30
Does AMC 10 has a textbook?

NatsuDragneel764 2012-05-29 20:09:30
will you tell us which textbooks to use

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:09:33
The required or recommended textbooks are listed on the Schedule page.

srogers 2012-05-29 20:09:47
If a class is full, we do not have a wait list. We recommend checking the Course Schedule page (linked above) periodically. If a student drops the course, so that a new place in class is open, then the opening will be revealed on the Course Schedule page.

alexzhong2002 2012-05-29 20:10:28
how many people are in a class if it is full?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:10:40
This varies a great deal from course to course. Most courses are capped at 50-75 students. We have extra assistants in classes with many students (and those with younger students).

-Transcend- 2012-05-29 20:10:50
How does grading work? Can I receive credit with my high school?

srogers 2012-05-29 20:10:53
This depends on your school. You should ask your school if you can use AoPS courses to replace regular school courses. We can provide grades and course completion documentation as needed.

AnaghaS 2012-05-29 20:11:01
if i take a course, will i receive any credit?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:11:14
Same as the answer above -- depends on your school.

Mycroft 2012-05-29 20:11:30
Can a course with too few students be cancelled?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:11:31
Yes, but we have only done that twice in 9 years.

agrgordon 2012-05-29 20:12:01
How much homework is there nightly?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:12:03
Including time in class, students should expect to spend 5-7 hours per week for the subject classes, and 2.5-3.5 hours per week for contest preparation classes.

ElRancho3 2012-05-29 20:12:49
How much do the courses cost

SDG 2012-05-29 20:12:49
would this cost more?

srogers 2012-05-29 20:12:52
The cost of each course are listed here: http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/School/classlist.php .

MCACT54321 2012-05-29 20:13:03
do you have exams?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:13:11
There are no tests in our courses, though our WOOT course has some practice olympiads and practice AIMEs.

franksports100 2012-05-29 20:13:29
What is WOOT?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:13:31
WOOT is our 7-month high school olympiad training program: http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/School/woot.php

ilikescrews325 2012-05-29 20:13:50
Do you have to answer every question?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:13:51
No. Do the best you can.

jpsanghan 2012-05-29 20:14:07
what happens if you do not have the books required for the course on time?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:14:08
That's OK; you should be fine for the first class without the books.

greddy 2012-05-29 20:14:13
Are there tests and grades?

srogers 2012-05-29 20:14:15
Classes do not have tests, but rather weekly homework assignments. We can assign grades for subject courses on request. You'll receive instructions during the course about how to request a grade.

alexzhong2002 2012-05-29 20:14:20
if you finish your homework early , can you turn it in early?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:14:21
Absolutely.

srogers 2012-05-29 20:14:22
Subject, classes, this is.

al87289 2012-05-29 20:14:56
can you be in multiple courses at once?

srogers 2012-05-29 20:14:57
You can take as many as you like, but we'd recommend making sure you have enough time to handle multiple courses. Including time in class, students should expect to spend 5-7 hours per week for the subject classes, and 2.5-3.5 hours per week for contest preparation classes. Many of our students successfully double-up with courses, and many of these students do so by taking one subject course and one contest preparation course at the same time.

geologica 2012-05-29 20:15:17
How can you tell if students have mastered the material?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:15:19
From the work they do on the homework. If you don't do the homework, we really can't tell how you're doing.

GoodDaddy 2012-05-29 20:15:31
what is your drop policy?

srogers 2012-05-29 20:15:32
In any course with at least three classes, you can drop the course before the third class starts and receive a full refund. There are no drops after the third class starts.

santa123 2012-05-29 20:15:50
Is Alcumus part of usual homework?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:15:52
Alcumus (our adaptive online learning system) is part of our Intro-level course homework.

cdragomir 2012-05-29 20:16:29
Is there voice chat in classes

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:16:30
Our classes don't have audio or video. This page includes many of our reasons for structuring our classroom this way: http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/School/index.php?page=howclassroomworks

-Transcend- 2012-05-29 20:16:49
Do I need to know LaTex to turn in assignments?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:16:50
LaTeX is a mathematical typesetting system that allows us to make math symbols on our website and in our classroom. You will never be required to learn LaTeX for anything in our courses. Some students do pick it up, and instructors will use it so that the things they write are easier to read, but it is not required.

NatsuDragneel764 2012-05-29 20:17:23
how do you give us homework? is it a worksheet?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:17:24
For all classes besides WOOT, students type their answers into the AoPS webpage. Our homework system includes drawing tools that allow students to add diagrams to their solutions.

C00LDUDE 2012-05-29 20:17:51
does amc10 cover pre-calc?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:17:52
No.

jilynne1991 2012-05-29 20:18:33
Do you have to do homework?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:18:34
We won't send the AoPS ninja squad to your house if you don't do your homework, but you will learn less if you skip the homework. If you expect to request a grade or course completion confirmation at the end of the course, then you should do as much of the homework as you are able.

al87289 2012-05-29 20:19:00
if you miss toom any classes, can you still do the course?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:19:01
Sure. Many of our students primarily follow the courses by using the course transcripts.

C00LDUDE 2012-05-29 20:19:41
Why do the amc10 classes not cover pre-calc if the actual contest has pre-calc questions on it?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:19:42
We cover the topics of the AMC 10. "Precalculus" means something different from school to school. My interpretation (and the AMC's interpretation, I think) does not include AMC 10 topics.

agrgordon 2012-05-29 20:20:00
what is a course transcript?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:20:01
We make full transcripts of each class session that you can review on your own later.

yrushi 2012-05-29 20:21:10
Are there message board problems in the new class system?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:21:12
There are message board discussions and fewer message board problems.

RotomPlasma 2012-05-29 20:22:00
if the timing of a class is inconvenient for me, would i be at a loss for anything if i only used the transcripts instead of attending the class?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:22:01
It'll be less fun, probably, but you'll still have access to all of the course material and you'll be able to use the course message board to ask any questions you have.

dolapobj 2012-05-29 20:22:32
Is there a way for us to interact with each other on their own, on this website but not duein class

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:22:34
Yes -- the classroom is open to enrolled students to allow them to collaborate outside class time. And, you can interact with the course message board.

Mycroft 2012-05-29 20:22:57
Are there ever going to be textbooks for the programming classes?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:22:58
We have recommended texts for the courses, but we don't have plans to write a text ourselves.

JPR65 2012-05-29 20:25:20
Do you have any plans for writing another textbook?

Mycroft 2012-05-29 20:25:20
Are there plans for more programming classes than the currently available?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:25:23
Not a this time. (To both questions.)

agrgordon 2012-05-29 20:25:31
Will classes be like the earlier part of the mathjam where we do a problem with the teacher staggering the steps and teaching new methods as we solve the problem?

srogers 2012-05-29 20:25:34
Yes. Just like this Math Jam, the classroom is moderated: students can type into the classroom, but only the moderators can choose a comment to drop into the classroom. So, when students send a message, it will not appear immediately, and may not appear at all. This helps keep the class organized and on track.

jpsanghan 2012-05-29 20:26:01
if you are in class and are not understanding a concept would the teacher take time to walk the concept through with you

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:26:02
We have assistants in classes who can work 1-on-1 during class time with students who are having trouble with a concept.

ji10bhatt 2012-05-29 20:27:24
about how many moderators/assistants do you have in a typical classroom?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:27:26
1-3 depending on the number and the age of the students. (The younger the students, the more assistants.)

geologica 2012-05-29 20:27:49
So the method of instruction is to introduce a concept by group problem solving an example?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:27:50
Essentially, yes, followed by a summary of what you just covered. And then more problems.

mathsd 2012-05-29 20:28:24
Do you like teaching us? I hope.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:28:25
Yep, that's why I do what I do.

MCACT54321 2012-05-29 20:28:52
What if student has a question after the class or miss one class, can student also get help from teacher?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:28:54
Every course has a course message board on which students can ask questions outside of class time. The best way to ask questions on the course message board is to use the “Ask a Question” feature of the course homepage, which will both post the question to the message board and email instructors and assistants to alert them to the question. Moreover, the “Ask a Question” feature allows students to ask questions anonymously.

JPR65 2012-05-29 20:29:15
are you allowed to use a calculator (or a computation engine like Wolfram Alpha) in class and on homework?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:29:16
We recommend that you don't do so unless you are told you can use such tools.

vonneumann13 2012-05-29 20:30:13
Are the assistants generally other AoPS instructors? Or are they just users?

baseballguy 2012-05-29 20:30:13
Do the moderators work as assistants?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:30:14
The assistants are drawn from among the many superstar college students who are past students in our courses.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:30:23
These are not the same set of people as the moderators on our forum.

Epicgymnastics 2012-05-29 20:31:35
what if you miss the last class in the course?

srogers 2012-05-29 20:31:42
We make a complete transcript of each class available to enrolled students within 24 hours of the end of class. This transcript includes everything that happened in class. Students also have access to a course message board on which they can ask questions outside of class time for instructors and assistants to answer.

srogers 2012-05-29 20:31:45
Each course homepage also offers an “Ask a Question” feature that allows students to ask questions anonymously. You'll have access to all of this material for 50 days after the course ends.

rimal 2012-05-29 20:31:53
Would you consider the AoPS classes supplemental?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:31:54
Our subject courses can be used as a primary curriculum or as a supplement.

wmcho1007 2012-05-29 20:32:41
can AoPS classes be accepted as school credits?

srogers 2012-05-29 20:32:43
This depends on your school. You should ask your school if you can use AoPS courses to replace regular school courses. We can provide grades and course completion documentation as needed.

WolfOfAtlantis 2012-05-29 20:32:45
Which classes would help with the high school AMCs?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:32:46
The Intro courses and the AMC 10 Problem Series will help with the AMC 10. The Intermediate courses and the AMC 12 Problem Series will help with the harder problems of the AMC 12.

Piglet 2012-05-29 20:33:04
Are there classes that are more than once a week?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:33:05
Only the weekend Special AIME Problem Seminar, which we don't offer the summer.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:33:51
Levans just pointed out something to me that I should have said in answer to the earlier questions about homework:

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:33:56
Research claims the closer in time you do homework to the end of class the better your retention.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:33:59

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:34:27
When I was a student, I usually did my homework *before* the lesson, and I think there's a lot of research that shows that this is the best way to retain information.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:35:02
That's part of why we structure our books the way we do, and we recommend people read the assigned readings in subject courses *before* class rather than after.

turkeybob777 2012-05-29 20:35:46
For the classes that have different teachers for two different days, are their teaching styles different?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:35:48
Yes, the styles will likely be somewhat different, but the core content will be the same.

Myst_Hawk 2012-05-29 20:36:54
What would happen if a teacher of a course couldn't teach for that class session? Hoping that would never happen

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:36:56
We have a lot of available instructors to serve as subs.

cdragomir 2012-05-29 20:37:14
Do you offer a summer camp, or week-end classes on campus?

srogers 2012-05-29 20:37:16
We don’t have any in-person courses. All classes are held online.

MathWhizzz 2012-05-29 20:37:32
woot vs. olympiad geometry? I can only take one, but which will be most useful to my jmo score? (i usually do well on nt and fail geo/inequalities)

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:37:34
WOOT covers a much broader range of topics, and gives you test-taking experience with the mock Olympiads.

MCACT54321 2012-05-29 20:38:08
Can you evaluate if student master the content of class after course?

srogers 2012-05-29 20:38:13
We can assign grades for subject courses on request. You'll receive instructions during the course about how to request a grade.
Grades are primarily determined by student performance on the homework. We take a holistic approach to grading; we don't have strict percentage levels for grades.

srogers 2012-05-29 20:38:18
Our courses are structured much like courses at top-tier colleges in that the assignments are extremely challenging, so students can earn high grades with a lower percentage correct than they would need in less rigorous classes.

-Transcend- 2012-05-29 20:38:42
will homework in the problem solving classes be available before each class?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:38:43
Yes -- the homework is generally released 8 days *before* the corresponding class.

as_win 2012-05-29 20:39:58
Do your classes use visuals or just text? I did not find answer to this question.

srogers 2012-05-29 20:40:04
Our classes are text-only, with no audio or video. There may be images posted in to the classroom. This page includes many of our reasons for structuring our classroom this way: http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/School/index.php?page=howclassroomworks .

awu60 2012-05-29 20:40:23
what is Angela 3 class? In our middle and high school, we only have Angela 1 and Angela 2.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:40:25
Here is the course description for Algebra 3: http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/School/courseinfo.php?course_id=algebra3
As you'll see, it includes some topics you might see in Algebra 2 in school (usually these are reviewing topics we covered in our Algebra 2), some topics you'd see in Precalculus in school, and many you won't see in school at all.

teethpaste 2012-05-29 20:40:56
is there homework bbefore the actual start of the class?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:40:58
Yes (though we may have one or two summer classes this year for which the problems haven't been released yet).

galwayflute 2012-05-29 20:42:07
How similar are your subject courses to the same courses at school? Is there any extra material?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:42:09
Our courses are considerably more challenging than the corresponding subjects in school. We cover a lot of topics you don't see in school, like those you'll find on AMC tests.

galwayflute 2012-05-29 20:42:23
how do we turn in homework?

srogers 2012-05-29 20:42:25
For all classes besides WOOT, students type their answers into the AoPS webpage. Our homework system includes drawing tools that allow students to add diagrams to their solutions.

ji10bhatt 2012-05-29 20:42:44
"rrusczyk:Yes -- the homework is generally released 8 days *before* the corresponding class." So can we ask questions about that homework during the corresponding class, even though it will be due the following class?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:42:45
Sure, but I recommend waiting until after class -- having those questions in the back of your mind will really help you focus on the material in class time.

rimal 2012-05-29 20:42:57
Do you plan on introducing Logic courses?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:42:58
We have no current plans to do so.

cdragomir 2012-05-29 20:43:41
I take a class with MathZoo academy. The problems are solved by students who type slowly and I feel explanations are not always complete to full understanding. I feel a lot of time is wasted. About what percent of the class includes instruction provided by teachers and not by students in class?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:43:43
That's really hard to answer. Our classes are extremely interactive if you're participating fully, and you can ask questions at any time if you don't fully understand something.

chess1921 2012-05-29 20:44:06
are you planning on doing critical thinking courses/books, to enable, SAT and CoGats

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:44:07
We don't focus on the SAT. Students who work through our classes find the SAT math extremely easy.

EpicSkills32 2012-05-29 20:44:25
is there Alcumus work though too?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:44:26
There is Alcumus homework in our Intro-level courses.

yopi 2012-05-29 20:44:52
How does your Java class compare to other AP programming classes?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:44:53
Our course goes beyond the typical AP course. The developer of our course is one of the lead graders of the AP exam.

al87289 2012-05-29 20:45:20
do you have to do the alcumus

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:45:22
We won't send the AoPS ninja squad to your house if you don't do your homework, but you will learn less if you skip the homework. If you expect to request a grade or course completion confirmation at the end of the course, then you should do as much of the homework as you are able.

cdragomir 2012-05-29 20:46:35
Are explanations given by instructors or by students?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:46:36
Both. Students answer questions, and then the instructors consolidate what was learned by working on the problem. So, everything is explained by the instructor in the end, though the work is developed by the students and the instructor, as we did in the sample at the start of class tonight.

mathsd 2012-05-29 20:46:54
Why there is only one Geometry but 3 Algebra classes?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:46:56
We have two Geometry courses (Olympiad Geometry and Introduction to Geometry).

C00LDUDE 2012-05-29 20:47:09
Do you have to understand more than 90% of the intrduction to programming class to do the Game programming class?(repeated because more than 10 mins)

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:47:55
I don't know that I'd say 90%. Say 75% or so. You can drop any course before the third class and receive a full refund, so you can give the first couple weeks a shot and see if you've internalized it enough to continue

baseballguy 2012-05-29 20:48:04
how will we receive the homework?

srogers 2012-05-29 20:48:07
Homework is available under the "Homework" tab on the course homepage.

french01math 2012-05-29 20:48:21
how often are videos sent out

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:48:22
The courses that have videos attached have videos for each week.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:48:30
These are available at the start of the course.

Myst_Hawk 2012-05-29 20:48:46
How much do we get if we refund later then the 3rd class?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:48:51
There are no drops/refunds after the third class starts.

awu60 2012-05-29 20:48:57
how long/hours do you expect the student to finish the homework?

Sohum 2012-05-29 20:48:57
Approximately how much homework is there for the AMC 10 Problem Series Course?

srogers 2012-05-29 20:48:59
Including time in class, students should expect to spend 5-7 hours per week for the subject classes, and 2.5-3.5 hours per week for contest preparation classes.

ji10bhatt 2012-05-29 20:49:19
If I took the Java course, would I know enough to take the AP programming exam without taking the class in school?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:49:20
Yes, if you did all the work for our Java course.

pencil2 2012-05-29 20:50:33
Do you have any ideas for have alcumus for intermediate classes

AnaghaS 2012-05-29 20:50:33
Would you suggest doing the AoPS book or watching the AoPS videos more?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:50:34
The book, for sure. Books are much, much better than videos for core learning. That's why we wrote the books first.

azhou4 2012-05-29 20:50:56
Will the java course count as credits for high school?

srogers 2012-05-29 20:50:59
This depends on your school. You should ask your school if you can use AoPS courses to replace regular school courses. We can provide grades and course completion documentation as needed.

awu60 2012-05-29 20:51:18
Is your introduction to Geometry class covers the same material as our high school course, Geometry?

Myst_Hawk 2012-05-29 20:51:18
Are the videos to help people understant the problems better?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:51:19
Yes, they are supplements to the classes and the books.

Sohum 2012-05-29 20:51:23
For homework, would you type your solutions out online? Or would you write out your solutions on paper and then scan it onto the computer?

srogers 2012-05-29 20:51:24
For all classes besides WOOT, students type their answers into the AoPS webpage. Our homework system includes drawing tools that allow students to add diagrams to their solutions.

french01math 2012-05-29 20:51:39
only you make the videos right

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:51:41
Me, Harvey, and some weird guy who wears sunglasses and an AoPS hoodie.

AnaghaS 2012-05-29 20:52:55
How do the problems in the AoPS videos differ from the problems discussed in the courses?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:52:57
I'm not really sure how to answer this one. I think the courses have more problems that are really challenging than the course videos, which are more focused on the basics.

french01math 2012-05-29 20:53:17
why can't we see Harvey

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:53:21
Huh? How can you not see him? He's HUGE!

Epicgymnastics 2012-05-29 20:54:15
are there books for the MATHCOUNTS/AMC 8 Basics class?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:54:16
We recommend our Volume 1: the Basics, but no books are required for the MATHCOUNTS course.

Bigbrother96 2012-05-29 20:54:56
What classes should i take to improve AIME scores and prepare for the olympiads?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:54:57
The Intermediate courses, the AIME Problem Series, and WOOT.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:55:49
Almost certainly. Our Precalculus course is much deeper than the typical Precalc course. You can find a diagnostic post-test on the Precalc page to see waht you think:

k00lperson 2012-05-29 20:55:53
If you've taken a precalculus course previously not through AOPS, do you think it'd be helpful to take the precalculus course via AOPS?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:56:11
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/School/courseinfo.php?course_id=precalc

awu60 2012-05-29 20:56:54
My kid finished the pre-algebra class with a little Algebra knowledge. Is she ready for MATHCOUNTS/AMC 8 Basics class?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:56:55
It's very likely that she is, particularly if she is an enthusiastic math student.

danielguo94 2012-05-29 20:57:22
How does WOOT prepare for USAMO?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:57:23
By teaching students advanced problem solving strategies and giving them plenty of practice applying those strategies to challenging problems.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:57:29
More details here:

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:57:31
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/School/woot.php

k00lperson 2012-05-29 20:57:50
Where are the problems from the AMC 10 problem series course usually from?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:57:51
A great many are past AMC problems. Some problems are created by AoPS staff.

Mathlete696 2012-05-29 20:58:21
Which book do you recommend for Advanced MathCounts/AMC 8 course?

srogers 2012-05-29 20:58:22
This course does not require a textbook. We recommend the Introduction series of the Art of Problem Solving curriculum for students preparing for the MATHCOUNTS and the AMC 8. Students preparing for the highest levels of MATHCOUNTS often use our Art of Problem Solving Volume 1 to prepare.

baseballguy 2012-05-29 20:58:31
is there certain time when the teacher calls it off?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 20:58:33
Tonight, we'll call it off when either we get too tired or you do. I'm betting on us tiring first

You have us outnumbered 100+ to 2.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:00:44
One of you asked if we can tell what kind of problems are on the AMC 8. We have not seen the AMC 8 questions, but we have seen lots and lots of past tests, and use that teach the topics we think will show up in the future.

mathsd 2012-05-29 21:01:06
When are you going to post new videos? those are very funny. Also, which subject will you do next?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:01:07
I still have half the Intro Algebra book to cover. After that, probably geometry.

Mathlete696 2012-05-29 21:01:24
Which course is usually taken first? Introduction to Counting and Probability or Introduction to Number Theory?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:01:25
Those can be taken in either order.

Markomak1 2012-05-29 21:02:23
1.Do you have any plans for adding extra courses that would suit the time for students from the other parts of the globe? 2. At a class, are the students allowed to ask regarding problems that they've encountered(or even suggest any) that can be solved with the knowledge obtained in the particular class?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:02:24
We have tried that in the past, but haven't had sufficient enrollment. We have tried adding a Friday night time (our time) for WOOT, to enable students in Asia to participate on Saturday mornings (their time).

knittingfrenzy18 2012-05-29 21:02:43
What is WOOT?

srogers 2012-05-29 21:02:46
WOOT stands for Worldwide Online Olympiad Training, a 7-month Olympiad training program consisting of lectures and Olympiad testing. You can find more information about WOOT here: http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/School/woot.php or at the WOOT-specific Math Jam in August.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:02:54
Markomak: And yes, you can ask questions that are not explicitly part of the course.

ssilwa 2012-05-29 21:03:11
Is there any math problem that you can't solve?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:03:12
More than I can solve, I'm sure.

awu60 2012-05-29 21:03:47
what are the books of Art of Problem Solving Volume 1? any link?

srogers 2012-05-29 21:03:51
Here's a link to Volumes 1 and 2: http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Store/contests.php .

MCACT54321 2012-05-29 21:04:07
do you provide tools to draw diagrams, geometry pictures/graphic? or we will buy?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:04:09
We have a drawing tool embedded in our weekly homework page. You can use that to draw pictures. You don't have to buy anything.

ssilwa 2012-05-29 21:04:26
did you ever go to the imo?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:04:27
Not as a participant (I was an alternate for the team in 1989).

ji10bhatt 2012-05-29 21:05:25
Is the material in AoPS Volumes 1&2 the same as the material taught in AMC 10 Problem Series Course? If so, which would be more helpful in studying for AMC 10 or Math Olympiad. Also, will the AMC 10 course refer to or discuss the books? (reposted after 10 mins)

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:05:27
It's not identical to the material in the AMC 10 Problem Series course, but there is overlap. The books are not required for the course -- we won't refer to them in the course. Also, Volume 2 is not terribly relevant to the AMC 10 -- it's more for AMC 12 and beyond.

AnaghaS 2012-05-29 21:05:52
Do you get the problems you do in the AoPS videos from the book?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:05:53
A few of them, but most of them I make up.

IsabelleK 2012-05-29 21:06:34
can you work more then what is given

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:06:36
Absolutely -- there are many extra problems in the book and Alcumus.

ssilwa 2012-05-29 21:07:32
If you succesfully take all the Intro and Intermediate courses, at what point will you be ready for WOOT?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:07:33
If you've finished all the Interm classes, you're definitely ready for WOOT. May be ready before that.

chess1921 2012-05-29 21:07:48
If you are trying out for your school team but feel you are very serious about math which courses do you suggest?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:08:53
Please send an email to classes@artofproblemsolving.com with your math background and I will make recommendations either tonight or tomorrow morning.

JPR65 2012-05-29 21:10:04
Do you ever plan to expand outside of Math, and into other topics like Language Arts, Music, etc?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:10:05
Not at this time.

brainiac123 2012-05-29 21:10:24
do you like making videos?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:10:26
Most of the time. But it's very time-consuming.

Mathlete696 2012-05-29 21:11:11
How do you type so fast?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:11:13
2 keyboards and 25 fingers.

chess1921 2012-05-29 21:11:32
If you just want problems, where should you go?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:11:33
Alcumus, or the community.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:11:36
Or the books.

yugrey 2012-05-29 21:11:53
Or the Contests page.

french01math 2012-05-29 21:11:56
when would you start making geometry videos

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:11:57
Maybe in 8-12 months or so.

JPR65 2012-05-29 21:12:05
Do you ever plan to bundle up all your videos into a DVD and sell this DVD? (I would appreciate this)

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:12:06
Not at this time.

ssilwa 2012-05-29 21:12:16
I think you would be an awesome singer.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:12:17
You have not heard me sing.

MathGuy777 2012-05-29 21:12:47
Is Algebra 3 on AoPS similar to a standard high school Algebra 2 course?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:12:49
No. It's far, far more challenging than a standard high school Algebra 2 course, and covers a great many topics that aren't part of the typical school curriculum.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:13:27
I'm getting a lot of questions now that are not particularly relevant to the online courses or our texts. Please only ask questions about the courses -- we have over 100 people tonight, and a lot of questions, so we have to focus on the courses/books questions.

MathGuy777 2012-05-29 21:14:05
So does that mean that if I have not taken Algebra 2 in high school, I shouldn't take this class?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:14:06
You can use the diagnostic tests (which are on the Schedule page) to determine which of Algebra 2 and Algebra 3 is right for you.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:14:37
Are there more questions? If you asked a question earlier that we didn't answer, you can re-ask it now.

shivakandalala 2012-05-29 21:15:10
I'm in fifth grade advanced math and i am taking algebra 1 over the summer, is it okay?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:15:13
Absolutely. You won't be alone -- we have a lot of 5th graders in that course.

StarWarsLiam 2012-05-29 21:16:35
Is it true that the Intro Geo is the hardest Intro class?!

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:16:37
Yes, for most students, Intro Geometry is the most challenging of the intro courses.

numberman 2012-05-29 21:17:03
How much are proofs emphasized in the classes?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:17:04
Proofs are emphasized a great deal in our courses, increasingly so as the subjects get more advanced.

srogers 2012-05-29 21:17:20
Each week, 1-3 of the weekly problems are "writing problems" on which students must write complete solutions. We provide detailed feedback on the accuracy and presentation of students' solutions.

JPR65 2012-05-29 21:17:53
Is Precalculus harder than Intro to Geometry?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:17:55
Yes, much.

ssilwa 2012-05-29 21:19:14
Do you plans for an intermediate geo class that would serve as a bridge to olympiad geo

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:19:16
That course is on a permanent to-do list. We may get around to it someday, but not soon.

JPR65 2012-05-29 21:21:03
I am taking 2 courses that both involve Alcumus and Challenge Problems instead of Challenge Sets. Have you done away with Challenge Sets? If so, why?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:21:04
The new system is much better at keeping students structured, since the problems are weekly, instead of once every 3 or 4 weeks. We also don't have to do nearly as much paper-shuffling as before, and can focus more on providing good feedback rather than having to spend a lot of energy making sure every paper gets put in the right place. The new system also allows us to collect much better data on where the students are in the courses, and how good the problems are.

brightknight 2012-05-29 21:21:21
What's the average amount of homework problems assigned each week? (The weekly problems, not bookwork)

srogers 2012-05-29 21:21:22
Including time in class, students should expect to spend 5-7 hours per week for the subject classes, and 2.5-3.5 hours per week for contest preparation classes.

mikedj60 2012-05-29 21:21:29
What is the hardest level of class?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:21:30
Olympiad level and our Group Theory course.

wlpj11 2012-05-29 21:21:54
how hard is algebra 2 compared to intro to geometry because i am taking intro to geometry first

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:21:56
Depends on the student, but most students find Intro Geometry harder. However, some students do take Geometry first.

wmcho1007 2012-05-29 21:22:47
how can you make up the homework for classes in which a particular week's homework has already been due?

srogers 2012-05-29 21:22:49
You can complete the short-answer questions until the course is over. If you have not yet completed a writing problem, you can send us an email to classes@artofproblemsolving.com requesting an extension.

french01math 2012-05-29 21:23:02
what is the easiest of the classes

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:23:03
Probably Prealgebra 1.

tc1729 2012-05-29 21:23:50
does Olympiad Geometry have challenge sets?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:23:51
Olympiad Geometry has weekly problems, just like the rest of the courses.

rimal 2012-05-29 21:25:13
I'll rephrase a question asked earlier: if a kid wanted more *AoPSy* Geometry after the Intro Geometry what would she do?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:25:17
This is a nice book: http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Store/viewitem.php?item=ukmt:plane
Also, you might work through the old HMMT geometry tests.

vonneumann13 2012-05-29 21:26:05
You seem to defining "harder" as "having more advanced material than." Am I right about this?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:26:07
They're strongly correlated in our courses (unlike what often happens in school).

french01math 2012-05-29 21:26:56
which class do you think students struggle with

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:26:58
Any course in which the students aren't doing the readings. There's just a huge gap between the students who do the readings and those who don't.

Mycroft 2012-05-29 21:27:41
Are the Challenge Problems easier than the Challenge Sets? Or are there just fewer of them? Because I certainly couldn't have done a full Challenge Set in a week...

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:27:42
Fewer problems, wider spread of difficulty (more easy problems per week, same number of hard problems overall).

Kwow 2012-05-29 21:28:16
We have been really impressed with AOPS. For homeschoolers, receiving high school credit is important. When do you think AOPS will receive accreditation?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:28:17
We are Candidates for Accreditation with WASC, and we hope the process will finish early in 2013.

JPR65 2012-05-29 21:28:18
Will everyone taking a specific course get the same Challenge Problems each week?

srogers 2012-05-29 21:28:21
Yes, all students in a class will receive the same set of challenge problems.

karthik6d 2012-05-29 21:28:42
does intro to geometry cover the 10th grade geometry cirrulum

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:28:43
And then some. Our course can be considered a very challenging high school honors geometry course.

tc1729 2012-05-29 21:30:43
Wait so does Oly. Geo have weekly message board problems as well as challenge sets (every 3-4 weeks)?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:30:45
Olympiad Geometry does not have Challenge Sets every 3-4 weeks anymore. It has weekly homework problems and extra practice problems on the message board.

Letti 2012-05-29 21:31:14
Is your calculus course/book AB or BC?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:31:14
ABCD. Our Calculus book goes to greater depth than the typical BC curriculum.

karthik6d 2012-05-29 21:32:01
does algebra cover trigonometry as well

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:32:03
We introduce trig in our Intro Geometry course, and give it a thorough treatment in our Precalculus course. There is no trig in our algebra courses.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:32:37
The video section on the course homepage is for supplementary videos. These are not part of the real-time classes. They're extra materials for students who find them useful.

jccurry 2012-05-29 21:32:40
if the class is using the text, why is there a video section?

chess1921 2012-05-29 21:32:53
as a 7th grader is intro to geo, going to be hard?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:32:55
Depends on the 7th grader. We have lots of 7th graders in that class.

Letti 2012-05-29 21:33:08
How much of calc will be precalc review?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:33:14
1.5 weeks.

brightknight 2012-05-29 21:34:05
How many Challenge Problems are there, on average, per week?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:34:07
Depends on the course. 10-12 in the Intro-level courses. Sometimes fewer (2-8) in more advanced classes (except the contest prep courses -- they usually have 10ish).

IsabelleK 2012-05-29 21:34:26
What classes are you planning to teach in the fall?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:34:27
I'm not sure. We'll start sorting that out in mid-summer.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:35:02
Probably our Algebra 2 course, but you can use the diagnostic tests to determine if it's right for you or if you should move up to Algebra 3. You can find the diagnostics here:

jccurry 2012-05-29 21:35:04
i will be taking algebra2 H in 9th grade. which Algebra class should I take here?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:35:12
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/School/courseinfo.php?course_id=algebra2

brightknight 2012-05-29 21:35:26
Are there any "new" courses planned to come out soon?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:35:33
Just the Java Programming course.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:36:11
Someone asked about taking Algebra 2 right after Algebra 1. Many of our students take one or both of Intro Number Theory and Intro Counting & Probability between the two.

helenz98home 2012-05-29 21:37:01
Are there diagonstic tests for all of the classes?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:37:02
There are diagnostics for all of the subject classes.

rushy 2012-05-29 21:37:38
Are the AMC 10 and AIME problem series courses the best way to prepare for the contest?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:37:39
If you have time, the subject classes are the best preparation -- they are much more in-depth. The problem series are good for extra practice.

helenz98home 2012-05-29 21:38:35
Do you teach all of the classes?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:38:36
No. We have 30 or so this summer. I definitely couldn't handle all of them!!

bancasterdr 2012-05-29 21:39:09
Is precalculus class useful for AMC10,12 or AIME?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:39:11
Not for the AMC 10, but it is very helpful for the other two.

helenz98home 2012-05-29 21:39:38
Would you be teaching the Algebra classes? Or the AMC8 classes?

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:39:53
Probably not this summer; I'm teaching Prealgebra this summer.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:40:05
It's fast approaching my dinner time, so we're going to wrap up now.

rrusczyk 2012-05-29 21:40:10
Thank you for attending the Math Jam! If you have any questions later, you can email me at classes@artofproblemsolving.com. If you need specific course recommendations, please include the student's math background and I will make recommendations.

Art of Problem Solving Classes Math Jam

Facilitator: Richard Rusczyk