McCallion
Quest
An Obstacle Course for the Brain: Gauss, Champs and Olympiad
By: Anjali Gopal
A crowded workplace, where students are working on their task obediently, with the only noise in the room being pencils scratching on paper, isn’t exactly the most welcoming sight for some students. However, the idea of students doing that only for the sake of not getting into trouble is completely incorrect. In fact, certain grade seven and eight students in Hazel McCallion, not only voluntarily chose to do this once, but rather they chose to do it many, many times. What was the occasion for this madness? It was an obstacle course specifically designed for the Brain, better known as the three famous Mathematics Competitions: the 2004-2005 Gauss, Math CHAMPS, and Math Olympiad contests.
The Gauss Contest is the oldest of the three math tests, which has been running for almost a decade. The first dated Gauss contest was on May 13th, 1998 for both Grade sevens and eights. The main sponsor of the contest, the University of Waterloo, is one of the best engineering universities in Canada. It has had a variety of sponsors throughout the years, from the National Bank of Canada to IBM Canada Ltd.
Participants are allowed one hour to write the test, answering twenty-five multiple choice questions; however, the test is broken up into three parts: Part A awards five credits for each question you get right, Part B questions are worth six credits each, and Part C awards eight credits for every correct question.
As easy as the Gauss contest might sound, it is far from being just straightforward, simple linear math equations. Along with mathematical intelligence, the contest also requires problem solving skills and a sharp mind for thinking through the difficult problems. Add that to a lot of brainy, math Kings and Queens, and you’ve got full fledged competition in the form of numbers, with each hopeful contestant eager to get first place. (An image of a sample question can be found at the end of the article.)
The Math CHAMPS contest is very much similar to the Gauss contest. It, too, is done in a one-hour period, along with 25 questions, broken into Parts A, B, and C. However, it is a much more recent test, which had just started this millennium, and, unlike Gauss, it has tests for grades above grade eight. It is also said to be a little less difficult than the Gauss, but not easy enough that it is a breeze to write.
The Math Olympiad is completely different from the other two mentioned tests. Participants are put into a group of four, with one male and female students from each grade. The teams do practices sometimes individually, sometimes as pairs, or sometimes altogether, as a team. During each practice, an activity is held, with duration time of 30 to 60 minutes. At the end of the practice, the teams are then given points for the amount of questions they got right. Most of the time, questions aren’t in the multiple-choice format. In the end, the top team from the seven that are currently participating in the Olympiad will have a chance to represent McCallion at Rick Hansen Secondary School and compete against other schools from the area.
“Why anyone would want to write this is probably the unanswered question dawning on most of our minds. Participants share a variety of answers as to why, but there’s one answer that keeps popping up with most of the contestants: it’s just, pure fun.
“I like challenges,” said Rani Phillips, who placed fourth in the Grade Eight 2004-2005 CHAMPS contest.
Nikita Malhotra, who placed third in the contest, also shares the same opinion. “It’s much more interesting than what we learn in class,” she confesses.
To the outside observer, it may not seem like it, but the contests are very much like athletics. But instead of keeping your body fit, you keep your mind sharpened. The exhilaration of getting a high score in one of these contests is very similar to getting a level three or a four on our yearly one and three kilometre runs. It takes real brainpower to pull off a good score, and anyone who attempts these tests should be applauded. The contests aren’t easy, and having the guts to write it is worth just as much an award.
We at the online magazine wish all the contestants who are still involved in the ongoing Olympiad and the upcoming Gauss contests the best of luck.