What would you choose out of these options if some wants to compete in math competitions? Thanks
Probably Awesome Math-- it’s the only one that’s particularly competition focused. PROMYS is a wonderful program but is based in Number Theory, and while participants learn a lot about math and the interworkings of Number Theory, most people I’ve talked to have said that it didn’t help with competition math-- they’re very different modes of thinking. MathILy is another great program, but again is based in exploration of non-Calculus-sequence mathematics instead of specifically competition prep. I have no idea about Rutgers, but I would assume it’s similar in content to PROMYS, though perhaps not in method of learning.
You might consider looking into USA/Canada Mathcamp if you’re interested in competition based math prep.
A lot people think competition math is very counterproductive. It is better to take classes to learn about math. Quickly responding to problems with known solutions has a questionable value in some peoples minds
@florida26, not all competition math is as you think. Also, I certainly don’t think it could be counterproductive.
@eavesdrop You may want to look at what the different people have had to say about it including some fields medal winners http://mathbabe.org/2011/07/17/math-contests-kind-of-suck/ I think Terence Tao even has a comment in there
@florida26 Terence Tao has competed in 3 IMO’s himself. Competition math certainly isn’t for everyone, but if you want to do it, why not? Because of math competitions I’ve been introduced to areas of math I would have never discovered in the classroom, where all you learn is how, not why. It has its benefits for some people. Also I wouldn’t really describe all problem-solving as “quickly responding to known problems”, some problems require rigorous thinking.
OP, I know promys isn’t exactly for competition math but it might interest you if you’re into problem solving.