Clemson University Calculus Challenge draws top Southeast high school students

Published: April 25, 2011

CLEMSON, S.C. — On your mark.

Get set.

Go! Find the derivative of the following function: f′(x) = x⁸ sin 5x.

Welcome to a taste of the Clemson Calculus Challenge, an annual competition of some of the Southeast’s top high school juniors and seniors.

Math whizzes from the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama competed for team and individual honors — including a pair of $500 scholarships for aspiring Clemson University students — at the event.

Nearly 300 students from 34 schools entered the April 15 competition, the largest in the eight years Clemson’s mathematical sciences department has sponsored the event.

“The quality and size of the competition has been growing each year,” said Shari Prevost, a senior lecturer in the department and organizer of the event. “The competition provides motivation for students to gain a deeper understanding of calculus. Teachers also like the contest because it provides a warmup for the ensuing College Board Advanced Placement Calculus AB exams.”

Students earned points based on a battery of tests. Individual calculus tests were administered in the morning with questions ranging from the “fairly routine” to the “very challenging.” Team competition — in which students band together to beat the clock — was held in the afternoon.

And sorry: no calculators allowed.

After the competition, students and teachers relaxed with a presentation on a research topic that required calculus as a prerequisite. This year’s talk, “What’s Inside? — Medical Imaging Meets Mathematics,” was given by Jack Cooper, a graduate student in mathematical sciences. The day ended with an awards ceremony.

Winners of the 2011 Clemson Calculus Challenge are:

Division 1, Individual

• First: Brandon Read, Mount de Sales Academy, Macon, Ga.
• Second: Jean Guo, Hammond School, Columbia
• Third: TJ Wilkason, Mount de Sales Academy, Macon, Ga.

Division 1, Team

• First: Mount de Sales Team 1, Mount de Sales Academy, Macon, Ga.
• Second: The Cartesian Cowboys, Spartanburg Day School, Spartanburg
• Third: Mount de Sales Team 2, Mount de Sales Academy, Macon, Ga.

Division 1, School

• First: Mount de Sales Academy, Macon, Ga.
• Second: Hammond School, Columbia
• Third: Spartanburg Day School, Spartanburg

Division 2, Individual

• First: Hardie Cate, A.C. Flora High School, Columbia
• Second: Elliott Chartock, A.C. Flora High School, Columbia
• Third: Matthew LePain, Oconee County High School, Watkinsville, Ga.

Division 2, Team

• First: For a good prime call 555.793.4527, A.C. Flora High School, Columbia
• Second: The Diophantine Bears, Mountain View High School, Lawrenceville, Ga.
• Third: Operation Derivation, D. W. Daniel High School, Central

Division 2, School

• First: A.C. Flora High School, Columbia
• Second: Mountain View High School, Lawrenceville, Ga.
• Third: D.W. Daniel High School, Central

Division 3, Individual

• First: Suyoung Jang, Vestavia Hills High School, Vestavia Hills, Ala.
• Second: Owen Scott, Vestavia Hills High School, Vestavia Hills, Ala.
• Third: Kyle Julian, Vestavia Hills High School, Vestavia Hills, Ala.

Division 3, Team

• First: Prism Mates, Vestavia Hills High School, Vestavia Hills, Ala.
• Second: Newton’s Ghostwriters, West Forsyth High School, Cumming, Ga.
• Third: The Matrix: Determined, Vestavia Hills High School, Vestavia Hills, Ala.

Division 3 School

• First: Vestavia Hills High School, Vestavia Hills, Ala.
• Second: Dutch Fork High School, Irmo
• Third: Kennesaw Mountain High School, Kennesaw, Ga.

Incidentally, the answer to the problem at the beginning of this story is: f′(x) = 8x⁷ sin 5x + 5x⁸ cos 5x by the product rule and the chain rule.

END