11 math club students competed in the annual 4-hour long Bay Area Math Olympiad (BAMO) on February 24.
The test consisted of 5 proof-type questions, to be answered in a free response format, according to math club adviser Nita Madra.
Test takers had to write paragraph explanations to show why their answer was correct, said sophomore Stone Mao, who took the test.
The BAMO is open to students from around the Bay Area. The program was founded in 1998, and Campolindo math club members have been taking the test since 2002 or 2003, according to Madra.
Madra, Mao, and math club president Gyubin Jang each noted that the test was different from a typical math test.
“You have to use both logic and math. If you just use math, it’s not going to really help you,” said Mao. “It was challenging, but I managed to get some of them done.”
“It was a long test, because it was a 4 hour test, but thanks to Mrs. Madra we had drinks and snacks so we could nourish ourselves, I guess,” Jang said. “I’ve been doing BAMO since sophomore year, so it was nice to devote 4 hours to solving math problems. And it’s nice because your friends are also taking it, so you can discuss it afterwards.”
Students prepared for the test by completing practice problems available on the BAMO website.
An awards ceremony with results will be held on Sunday, March 15, at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in Berkeley.
Mao, who had never taken the test before, said he “might” take it again next year. “I mean, it’s good experience. Now I know there is more than number math, there’s logical thinking in them,” Mao added.
