The 2024 Clemson Calculus Challenge
The twentieth annual Clemson Calculus Challenge (CCC ) was held on Friday, April 19, 2024. For the third year, we held a hybrid event with in-person participants as well as students taking the exam remotely. The School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences welcomed 194 students (including 47 remote) from 23 schools representing Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The students competed in individual, team, and school categories.
The twenty-three high schools were split into two divisions based on school enrollment. Division I schools had the smaller enrollments, while Division II contained the schools with the larger student populations. A third division was created for all of the remote participants, who competed only in the individual competition. The high schools that competed in the 2024 CCC are listed in the following table.
Participating Schools for 2024
| High School |
City |
State |
Division |
| Anderson High School |
Anderson |
IN |
Division II |
| Baltimore Polytechnic Institute |
Baltimore |
MD |
Division II |
| Bishop England High School |
Charleston |
SC |
Division III |
| Charlotte Christian School |
Charlotte |
NC |
Division I |
| Chestatee High School |
Gainesville |
GA |
Division I |
| D.W> Daniel High School |
Central |
SC |
Division I |
| Eastside High School |
Taylors |
SC |
Division I |
| First Presbyterian Academy |
Greenville |
SC |
Division I |
| Fulton Science Academy |
Alpharetta |
GA |
Divisions I & III |
| Greenwood High School |
Greenwood |
SC |
Division II |
| Hammond School |
Columbia |
SC |
Divisions I |
| Irmo High School |
Lexington |
SC |
Division III |
| James F. Byrnes High School |
Duncan |
SC |
Division II |
| Lakeview Academy |
Gainesville |
GA |
Division I |
| Loganville High School |
Loganville |
GA |
Division II |
| Lucy Beckham High School |
Mount Pleasant |
GA |
Division III |
| Memphis University School |
Memphis |
TN |
Division III |
| Riverside High School |
Greer |
SC |
Division II |
| Riverwood International Charter School |
Sandy Springs |
GA |
Division II |
| Scholars Academy High School |
Conway |
SC |
Division I |
| Spring Valley High School |
Columbia |
SC |
Division II |
| TC Roberson High School |
Asheville |
NC |
Division I |
| Vestavia Hills High School |
Vestavia Hills |
AL |
Division II |
A presentation was delivered by Dr. Neil Clakin, a professor in the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences at Clemson University, and Eliza Gallagher, an associate professor in the Department of Engineering & Science Education. Their presentation was titled "Recreational Mathematics: Serious Fun".
Awards
Trophies were awarded for first, second, and third place finishes in Divisions I and II in three categories: individual test, team competition, and overall school performance. The first and second place scorer on the morning exam in Divisions I and II were each given $500 scholarships to Clemson University. A trophy was also awarded to the top finisher among the remote participants (Division III).
Individual Awards
Division I
| Place |
Winner |
School |
Score |
| First |
Seomgeun Shim |
Hammond School |
15.25 |
| Second |
Andy Xu |
Scholars Academy High School |
14.75 |
| Third |
Annabel Rong |
Fulton Science Academy |
14.50 |
Division II
| Place |
Winner |
School |
Score |
| First |
Daniel Cheng |
Vestavia Hills High School |
19.75 |
| Second |
Cuewon Kim |
Vestavia Hills High School |
14.50 |
| Third |
Kai Tucker |
Riverside High School |
13.00 |
Division III
| Place |
Winner |
School |
Score |
| First |
Karthik Kuppuswamy |
Fulton Science Academy |
10.00 |
Team Awards
Division I
| Place |
Winner |
School |
Score |
| First |
Purple Team |
Hammond School |
29 |
| Second |
Orange Team |
D.W. Daniel High School |
22 |
| Third |
Orange Team |
Eastside High School |
16 |
Division II
| Place |
Winner |
School |
Score |
| First |
Purple Team |
Vestavia Hills High School |
28 |
| Second |
White Team |
Vestavia Hills High School |
13 |
| Third |
Orange Team |
Riverwood International Charter School |
10 |
School Awards
Division I
| Place |
School |
Score |
| First |
D.W. Daniel High School |
32.67 |
| Second |
Fulton Science Academy |
25.75 |
| Third |
Eastside High School |
22.42 |
Division II
| Place |
School |
Score |
| First |
Vestavia Hills High School |
28.48 |
| Second |
Riverwood International Charter School |
12.67 |
| Third |
Spring Valley High School |
12.67* |
*There was a tie for 3rd place, broken by the highest team score and individual score.
Bonus Puzzle Challenge
As a bonus endeavor, participants were given a '7 Wonders' challenge created by Dr. Shih-wei Chao, a Senior Lecturer in the School of Mathematical and Statstical Sciences, to work on over the lunch break. One team from each division was selected at random from all correct responses to receive School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Rubik's cubes. The winners were from Scholars Academy High School and Vestavia Hills High School.
