The 2016 Clemson Calculus Challenge
The thirteenth annual Clemson Calculus Challenge (CCC ) was held on Friday, April 15, 2016. The Department of Mathematical Sciences hosted 233 students from 34 regional schools representing Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. The students competed in individual, team, and school categories. Following the competition portion of the CCC , the high school students and their teachers attended an informal lecture describing how computer modeling is used in civil engineering.
Funding for the 2016 CCC was provided by the Department of Mathematical Sciences and the College of Engineering and Science (CoES). Additionally, Mu Alpha Theta (the national high school and two-year college mathematics honor society) contributed $150 in prize money and three one-year licenses to the computer algebra system Mathematica for distribution to top performers on the morning exam.
The thirty-four high schools were split into three divisions based on school enrollment. The division numbers increased with school enrollment; thus Division 1 schools had the smallest enrollments, while Division 3 contained the schools with the largest student populations. The high schools that competed in the 2016 CCC are listed in the following table.
| High School | City | State | Division | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. C. Flora HS | Columbia | SC | 2 | 4 |
| Academic Magnet HS | North Charleston | SC | 1 | 5 |
| Augusta Christian Schools | Martinez | GA | 1 | 8 |
| Ben Lippen School | Columbia | SC | 1 | 6 |
| Bishop England HS | Charleston | SC | 2 | 5 |
| Broome HS | Spartanburg | SC | 2 | 8 |
| Chestatee HS | Gainesville | GA | 2 | 8 |
| Chester HS | Chester | SC | 2 | 7 |
| Christ Church Episcopal School | Greenville | SC | 1 | 7 |
| Crescent HS | Iva | SC | 2 | 8 |
| D. W. Daniel HS | Central | SC | 2 | 8 |
| Dutch Fork HS | Irmo | SC | 3 | 2 |
| First Presbyterian School | Macon | GA | 1 | 6 |
| Goose Creek HS | Goose Creek | SC | 3 | 8 |
| Greenbrier HS | Evans | GA | 3 | 8 |
| Hammond School | Columbia | SC | 1 | 8 |
| Mauldin HS | Mauldin | SC | 3 | 8 |
| Mountain View HS | Lawrenceville | GA | 3 | 7 |
| North Oconee HS | Bogart | GA | 2 | 8 |
| Oconee County HS | Watkinsville | GA | 2 | 8 |
| Parkview HS | Lilburn | GA | 3 | 7 |
| Peachtree Ridge HS | Sewanee | GA | 3 | 7 |
| Pendleton HS | Pendleton | SC | 2 | 8 |
| Riverside HS | Greer | SC | 2 | 8 |
| Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology | Conyers | GA | 1 | 8 |
| South Forsyth HS | Cumming | GA | 3 | 8 |
| South Gwinnett HS | Snellville | GA | 3 | 8 |
| Southside Christian School | Simpsonville | SC | 1 | 3 |
| Southside HS | Greenville | SC | 2 | 4 |
| Spartanburg Day School | Spartanburg | SC | 1 | 7 |
| Spring Valley HS | Columbia | SC | 3 | 8 |
| St. Joseph's Catholic School | Greenville | SC | 1 | 8 |
| The Altamont School | Birmingham | AL | 1 | 4 |
| West Forsyth HS | Cumming | GA | 3 | 8 |
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A presentation was delivered by Dr. Sez Atamturktur, Distinguished Professor of Intelligent Infrastructure, from Clemson University’s Department of Civil Engineering. Her presentation, entitled “Don't be fooled by computer models: they don’t always tell the truth!,” discussed concerns regarding the confidence that can be placed in computer model predictions. Computer models are being implemented at an increasing rate to understand the behavior of engineered or natural systems under what-if scenarios that are difficult (or infeasible) to observe through experimentation, such as nuclear reactor accident scenarios, etc. These models, regardless of how articulate they may be, are approximations of the systems they represent. Hence, by using a computer model, a decision maker in search of a fact relies on an approximate prediction of that fact.
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Awards
Trophies were awarded in each division for first, second, and third place finishes in three categories: individual test, team competition, and overall school performance. The first and second place scorer on the morning exam in each division were each given $500 scholarships to Clemson University. Additionally, Mu Alpha Theta, the national honor society for high school and two-year mathematics, donated $150 and three one-year licenses for the computer algebra system Mathematica to be given as awards for the 2016 CCC . The overall top scorer in the individual exam (Andy Xu) was awarded the $100 cash prize, while the second place finisher in the individual exam (Andy Xu) received a $50 cash prize. The top scorers for the individual exam in each division were each presented with the one-year license for Mathematica. Lastly, an award for the most creative team name was given in each division. The following awards were made.
Individual Awards
| Place | Winner | School |
|---|---|---|
| First | Andy Xu | Christ Church Episcopal School |
| Second | William Tang | The Altamont School |
| Third | John Staubes | Academic Magnet High School |
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| Place | Winner | School |
|---|---|---|
| First | Sarah Baum | D.W. Daniel High School |
| Second | Ian Ruohoniemi | D.W. Daniel High School |
| Third | Hank Morris | Oconee County High School |
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| Place | Winner | School |
|---|---|---|
| First | Albert Huang | Spring Valley High School |
| Second | Jenning Chen | Spring Valley High School |
| Third | Harish Kamath | South Forsyth High School |
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Team Awards
| Place | Winner | School |
|---|---|---|
| First | CCES Squared | Christ Church Episcopal School |
| Second | SDS A | Spartanburg Day School |
| Third | Feel the Curve | Southside Christian School |
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| Place | Winner | School |
|---|---|---|
| First | ~ i | North Oconee High School |
| Second | We are # sin (π/2) | D.W. Daniel High School |
| Third | Differentiated from the crowd | D.W. Daniel High School |
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| Place | Winner | School |
|---|---|---|
| First | Laplace’s Opimus Primes | Mountain View High School |
| Second | Math Destruction | Spring Valley High School |
| Third | Calcaholics Anonymous | Mauldin High School |
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School Awards
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| Division | Place | School |
|---|---|---|
| I | First | Christ Church Episcopal School |
| I | Second | The Altamont School |
| I | Third | Southside Christian School |
| II | First | D.W. Daniel High School |
| II | Second | North Oconee High School |
| II | Third | Oconee County High School |
| III | First | Spring Valley High School |
| III | Second | Mountain View High School |
| III | Third | South Forsyth High School |
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Most Creative Team Names
| Division | Team Name | School |
|---|---|---|
| I | Mary Had a Little Lambda | Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology |
| II | Calcoholics | Crescent High School |
| III | Southern L’Hopitality | West Forsyth High School |
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We are grateful to our sponsors:
College of Engineering and Science | Department of Mathematical Sciences | Mu Alpha Theta