Problem Source

MCM

The Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM) is a unique international contest for high school students and college undergraduates. The MCM is designed to stimulate and improve problem-solving and writing skills. Students participate as team members rather than as individuals, creating an environment for sharing knowledge and skills. Your institution may take part in the MCM effort by encouraging a member of your department to serve as a faculty advisor. Advisors help organize the teams, distribute contest materials, and return solution papers to COMAP. For more information click here.

ICM

The Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling (ICM) is an international contest for high school students and college undergraduates. ICM is designed to develop and advance interdisciplinary problem-solving skills as well as competence in written communication. The interdisciplinary problem has changed its emphasis from strictly environmental issues to reflect a quantitative situation in mathematics; operations research; systems engineering; information, industrial or physical security; or resource and environment protection and management. Your institution may be part of the ICM effort by encouraging a member of your department to serve as a faculty advisor and by promoting the participation of faculty and students from associated departments. Advisors help organize the teams, distribute contest materials, and return solution papers to COMAP. For more information click here.

HiMCM

The HiMCM is designed to provide students with an opportunity to work as a team in a contest that will stimulate and improve their mathematical problem-solving proficiency as well as develop their writing skills. The competition takes place with teams consisting of up to, but no more than, four students working on a real-world problem in a consecutive thirty-six-hour period. Teams are allowed to work on the contest problem at any local facility. Each team has a faculty advisor to guide them and submit their work. Papers are submitted to COMAP for judging by a panel of mathematics educators. For more information click here.

MidMCM

The MidMCM is designed to provide students with an opportunity to work as a team in a contest that will stimulate and improve their mathematical problem-solving proficiency as well as develop their writing skills. The competition takes place with teams consisting of up to, but no more than, four students working on a real-world problem in a consecutive thirty-six-hour period. Teams are allowed to work on the contest problem at any local facility. Each team has a faculty advisor to guide them and submit their work. Papers are submitted to COMAP for judging by a panel of mathematics educators. The MidMCM is open to all middle school/level students less than 14 ½ years old on the start date of the contest. For more information click here.

MMOW

Students are taught to use a variety of resources to solve problems, and they learn to choose resources that meet the needs of a particular situation. As in reallife, MMOW’s problems do not necessarily have perfect solutions. MMOW strengthens the students’ ability to solve problems by:

Consortium

Consortium, published twice a year and available electronically with COMAP membership, blends contemporary teaching activities with commentaries, articles and contests to bring the excitement of mathematical modeling to high school classrooms.  Each issue contains the Pull-Out section, a reproducible classroom activity centered on a real-world modeling problem.  Recent Pull-Out lessons have modeled a wide range of topics including the genetics of sickle cell anemia and the accuracy of the Patriot Missile System. For more information click here.

ILAP

ILAP Modules consist of small-group problem-solving projects that motivate students to develop mathematical concepts and skills. The principles of other disciplines are melded with those of mathematics, producing a broader outlook on problem-solving. Formulated like case studies, these projects require students to use scientific and quantitative reasoning, mathematical modeling, symbolic manipulation, and computation. For more information click here.

UMAP

UMAP Modules are the perfect companion to any college mathematics text. Each module is a self-contained modeling problem that includes exercises, activities, and, where appropriate, sample exams.  With over 300 modules in print, on mathematical subjects from algebra to analysis, there is a UMAP Module for every subject, interest, and mathematics ability.

The UMAP Journal, published quarterly and available electronically with COMAP membership, blends contemporary teaching modules with commentaries and articles to create a boldly different periodical.  Each issue puts several real-world problems under a mathematical lens, and demonstrates how real people are using mathematics in their jobs and lives. Whether it is exploring an elegant explanation of price-elasticity of illegal drugs, or the strategic implications of disarming the U.S. nuclear arsenal, The UMAP Journal is the modeling journal for anyone interested in applied mathematics. For more information click here.