Math Field Day

Rules for Math Bowl

The Math Bowl will be conducted in two divisions:  Junior Varsity and Varsity.  A Junior Varsity Team will consist of 4 students in grades 10 or lower.  The Varsity Team will consist of 4 students in grades 12 or lower.  In each division, team members are to be ranked by the advisor according to ability: 1, 2, 3, and 4, with "1" being the strongest, "2" being the next strongest, etc.  Each contest will consist of 4 rounds.  The number 4 mathlete of each of the competing schools will compete in Round 1, the number 3 mathlete in Round 2, the Number 2 mathlete in Round 3, and the Number 1 mathlete in the final round.  The difficulty of questions increases after each round.

Prior to the competition, each mathlete will receive from the team advisor (who received them at morning registration) a set of answer sheets and fill in the top of each sheet with his/her name, school, round number and question number.

At the beginning of the competition, the round 1 AND 2 mathletes go on stage, bringing their answer sheets.  The round 1 student takes his/her seat and the round 2 player stands behind the chair and will serve as checker.  When everyone is in position, the answer packets will be passed out to the checkers.  At this time they are not allowed to open the answers.

A question will be shown on the screen.  The seated mathletes will begin to work on the problem.  At the same time, the standing mathletes open the answer to that question.  Each problem solver will write the answer on the answer form in the appropriate place, in dark pencil or black or blue ink, and hand the form to the checker.  The checker of the first correct answer will announce "ONE"; of the second correct answer "TWO"; and the third correct answer - "THREE," etc. After their rank is confirmed by the judge the checker will mark the rank on the answer form, with a provided red pen.  At the end of the allotted time, checkers will hand all correct answer sheets to a contest official who will take them to the scoring table. Incorrect answers should be placed in a pile on the floor under the seat.  Scorekeepers will award 5 points for a first, 3 for a second, 2 for a third, and l for all other correct answers.  The scorekeepers will verify that the answers are correct.  Any answer that is deemed incorrect, will invoke a penalty equal to how many points that team would have gotten if  the answer had been correct (e.g. an incorrect second place answer results in 3 points deducted from the score instead of added).  Also of course, if an answer is incorrect, all lower rankings move up by one (this is why it is important to keep track of who’s answer is fourth, fifth, etc.).

At the end of round 1, the two mathletes from each school switch places to prepare for round 2.  At the end of round 2, both mathletes return to the audience and the other two members of each team take their place on stage for rounds 3 and 4.  Scoring is cumulative, and the winning team is the one that accumulates the most points over the four rounds.

Furthermore, please note:

During competition there is to be no communication of any kind between the checkers and the problem solvers.  Violations will be dealt with at the discretion of the math bowl director. 

Though, 9^th and 10^th graders are eligible to be on a varsity team, no contestant 

may participate in both the junior varsity and varsity competitions.

A team may compete with fewer than 4 participants. A team with 1, 2, or 3 

members participates in the last 1, 2, or 3 rounds.

USE OF CALCULATORS:  No calculators allowed.