4. German mathematical competitions

4.1 National Competitions

(1) Mathematik-Olympiade MO
The "Mathematics Olympiad"(Mathematik-Olympiade) started in 1960/61 in former East-Germany. It is a yearly organized 4-rounds-competition ("School-Olympiad", "Regional Olympiad", State-Olympiad", "Germany-Olympiad").
Students from grade 5 to grade 12/13 are invited to participate and have to solve specific problems according to their age.
The first round is a home work round. The best participants qualify for the next round.
The problems for these competitions are posed by central commissions, which involve university-professors and teachers.
The competition was and still is very successful. Since 1995 students of all 16 German states have participated.

(2) Bundeswettbewerb Mathematik BWM
The "Federal Mathematics Competition" (Bundeswettbewerb Mathematik) started in the 1970th in former West-Germany. It is a yearly organized 3-rounds-competition.
The students have to solve the same set of problems in a given year throughout the state, independent of age.
During the first and second round they work out their solutions at home.The best participants qualify for the next round.
In the last round the students have to stand through a one-hour mathematical discussion with a university professor and a high-school teacher.
The prize-winners get a prestigious scholarship of the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes.

(3) Jugend forscht
Nation-wide there is a research oriented science and technology competition "Research of Youth" (Jugend forscht) with a branch in mathematics/computer-science, where the young researchers pose their own problems (and solve them) and where a national jury selects the best contributions in a current year.
 

The national German team for the International Mathematics Olympiad  IMO (Internationale Mathematik-Olympiade) is chosen from the prize-winners of the "Germany-Olympiad",  from the second  round of the "Federal Mathematics Competition" and from "Research of Youth".


(4) Studentenkonferenz
The Eastern German "student conference"(Studentenkonferenz) is since 1992 presented in Germany at the annual meeting of the DMV, the German Mathematician-Association, which takes place at different universities. University students can submit an abstract on their master-thesis or other scientific papers and the best contributors can deliver a talk, talks which in general have a high standard.


Contact addresses

Mathematik-Olympiade
Prof. Dr. H.-D. Gronau
FB Mathematik
Universität Rostock
Universitätsplatz 1
D-18055 Rostock
e-mail: mo@neptun.math.uni-rostock.de

Bundeswettbewerb Mathematik
Bundeswettbewerb Mathematik
Bildung und Begabung
H.-H. Langmann
Postfach 201140
D-53144 Bonn
e-mail: 100536.146@compuserve.com

Jugend forscht
Stiftung Jugend forscht e.V.
Beim Schlump 58
D-20144 Hamburg
e-mail: Zentrale@Jugendforscht.hh.schule.de

Studentenkonferenz
Prof. Dr. U. Küchler
Institut für Mathematik
Humboldt-Universität
D-10099 Berlin
e-mail: kuechler@mathematik.hu-berlin.de
 


4.2 Competitions in the states

Since 1988 there are also in several old states (Länder) mathematics competitions, but on a smaller scale than the earlier described MO of the new states.
In Baden-Württemberg there are for class 10 students yearly a set of mathematical problems, which interested students can solve within 7 weeks, the best ones can participate in a second round of problem-solving and from the second round the best 60 students are invited to a one-week seminar.
In Hessen and Rheinland-Pfalz a similar competition is for class 8 students. In both states, at the first level the students have to solve in 90 minutes four to five problems in class, the best ones can participate in a more difficult district-round and from there the best ones can participate in the third round, where 6 prizes in Hessen are distributed. The Rheinland-Pfalz third round is a seminar for the second round prize-winners, which consists of a several day-course at one of its universities.


4.3 Regional Competitions

Beside the national and state competitions and the Eastern MO, which is also regional organized, there are regional competitions, from which a selected group is mentioned in alphabetical order.
 

(1) Adam-Ries-Wettbewerb
Since 1992 Thüringen conducts for class 5 students in Thüringen and the adjacent Bayern and Sachsen a competition which involves yearly about 5 000 students. 4 to 5 problems are solved at home in the first round. The second level is a class-room problem solving round, in which only the 60 best ones of the first round participate. The best 10 students from this group are then invited to a special camp in Annaberg- Buchholz, Thüringen.
 

(2) Fürther Mathematik-Olympiade
This smaller competition is for the classes 5-10 and has two rounds. 6 regional high- schools around Fürth participate each year.
 

(3) Pokal des Rektors
Greifswald and Rostock have a special competition with 1 600 participants yearly for the classes 3 to 6 in two rounds. The 2nd round admits about 160 high-school students and takes place at the local university. The best team of a high-school gets the Pokal of the Rektor.
 

(4) Tag der Mathematik, TdM
Since 1985 the regional "Mathematics Day" is conducted as a one day competition for class 12 high-school students at different universities of Baden-Württemberg.
There is a common set of problems: 3 to 4 problems have to be solved in 45 minutes and there are three such 45-minute sessions: One is for teams of high-schools, - teams which work out the problems together. After that hour there is a second session, where the students work out the problems alone and a third session, a final speed-test in the afternoon, where those teams who get the right solution of a problem first win additional points. The corrections are made fast, such that the 3 to 4 prizes can be distributed at the end of the last session. Yearly 800 to 1 000 students participate in the TdM. The 30 best and interested students can attend a special 14-day seminar with university professors as teachers.
 

(5) Mathematik-Tage
Different universities offer "mathemtics days" (Mathematik-Tage) during their annual one-day-open-house for regional high-school students. The program mostly involves a professor, which gives a mathematical talk of general interest, the high-school students get information about the university in general, about the curriculum for a mathematics student in particular and there are prizes distributed for university-posed mathematical problems, which are given for the best submitted solutions.


Contact addresses

Adam-Ries-Wettbewerb
Adam- Ries-Wettbewerb
D-09456 Annaberg

Fürther Mathematik-Olympiade
P. Jainta
Weervolkstr. 10
D-91126 Schwabach

Pokal des Rektors Prof. Dr. H.-D. Sill
Fachbereich Mathematik
Universität Rostock
Universitätsplatz 1
D-18055 Rostock
e-mail:hans-dieter.sill@mathematik.uni-rostock.de

Tag der Mathematik
Prof. Dr. G. Kalmbach
MINT,Universität Ulm
Liststr.3
D-89079 Ulm
e-mail: gudrun.kalmbach@mathematik.uni-ulm.de


Gudrun Kalmbach

e-mail: gudrun.kalmbach@mathematik.uni-ulm.de


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