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Conference rusure::math

Title:Mathematics at DEC
Moderator:RUSURE::EDP
Created:Mon Feb 03 1986
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2083
Total number of notes:14613

1960.0. "Tournament of the Towns (general info)" by AUSSIE::GARSON (achtentachtig kacheltjes) Sat Apr 08 1995 04:14

With reference to topic 1837, here is some general information about the
Tournament of the Towns competition excerpted from an article by Peter Taylor,
University of Canberra (formerly Canberra CAE) published in "Function" Vol 14
Part 1 (Feb 1990) and reproduced without permission.

Anyone know how widespread this competition has become?
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"
The Tournament of the Towns is an inter-city mathematical problem-solving
competition for high school students which has been organised in the Soviet
Union since 1979.

The competition has spread into other countries of the Eastern Bloc,
particularly Bulgaria, which has several towns competing.

The competition is held twice a year. There are two papers, a Senior Paper for
Students in Years 11 and 12, and a Junior Paper for students in years 8, 9 and
10. [DG: Students do the papers in their home towns.]

Each paper has two versions, a training version and a main version. A student
may attempt either version or both. A student who attempts both versions is
awarded the higher score of the two. The main paper is distinctly the more
difficult, but more points are obtainable in this paper.

The main paper normally has 6 questions, all worth varying point values ranging
upwards from 3 points for the first question. However, students only score for
their best three solutions [DG: Presumably this means only a student's three
highest scoring questions count.]

It is strongly recommended that all students attempt the training version of
the paper, and that they only attempt the main paper understanding that the
paper is difficult, and that it is an achievement to get even one complete
solution.

Those students in the lower age groups receive an upwards adjustment of their
score to enable them to compete on an equal footing with the older students.
For example, Year 8 students have their mark increased by a factor of 3/2.

The local organisers do some preliminary assessment and send the papers likely
to form part of the city score to the central jury in Moscow for central
assessment. The papers are formally marked there by University students.

If the population of the city is N00000, the average of the best N papers forms
the city's score. However, if the population is less than 500000, 5 papers are
still required. In this case the city has its score adjusted by a further
compensatory factor.

In 1988 there were 41 cities in the competition, Canberra entering for the
first time and being the only western city and the only city using the English
language. Canberra finished a commendable 13th.
"
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