Is there a forum for weekly engineering math challenges?

AI Thread Summary
This forum hosts weekly math challenges aimed at enhancing problem-solving skills through a point system. Participants earn points by posting unique solutions, with the first correct answer receiving two points and subsequent distinct solutions earning one point each. While points cannot be exchanged for prizes, contributors can submit their own math problems for consideration as challenges. The forum primarily focuses on high school level math and calculus, making it accessible to a broad audience. Discussions also touch on the inclusion of engineering-related topics, particularly in aerodynamics and fluid dynamics.
Office_Shredder
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What is this place?
This forum is for people to come together and stretch their brains on math puzzles. Each week there will be a new challenge for the forum to try.

What do I get for answering challenges?
We're going to try a point system. The first person to post a solution will be awarded 2 points, and every solution posted after that which is legitimately different from any already posted solutions will be worth one point. I want to see as many different solutions as you guys can think up on each problem, and if you see a problem has already been solved just think of that as an extra challenge to solve it better. Simplify an existing solution, attack it from a different angle, everything's fair game as long as you're doing some new math (maximum one score per person but feel free to post extra solutions). I am the final arbiter on whether a solution counts as new or not in the event of a dispute.

Can I trade in my points for cool Physics Forums prizes?
No, you can't.

[Admin Edit] not yet at least :)

I have a cool question I think you should ask.
Hey, this is frequently asked questions, not frequently stated sentences. If you have a particularly interesting math problem, feel free to PM me! If I think it's appropriate (not too technical, not too obvious, etc.) I'll include it as a challenge and you'll get a point for it.
 
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what happened to the previous threads? I remember there were a few questions posted already
 
When micromass retired as a mentor, they got moved into the general math forum with the closure of his sub-forum (you can find them by searching the general math forum for threads by micromass). Would people prefer to have them collected here in some fashion? (either a post with links to all of the threads, or moving them into this forum).
 
Is it possible for the challenges to include topics which are taught at High school level? I am sure that challenging questions can be made on those topics. I don't know how to express myself. Maybe Olympiad-type problems?
 
Most of the challenges will have solutions which require only high school level math or calculus to solve - even if it's not immediately clear that an such an elementary solution exists.
 
Great activity/Board, this is great guys, keep it up!

is there something like that includes engineering topics as well (preferably in aero/fluids but anything engineering will do)? Or know of a place that does this?
 
Seemingly by some mathematical coincidence, a hexagon of sides 2,2,7,7, 11, and 11 can be inscribed in a circle of radius 7. The other day I saw a math problem on line, which they said came from a Polish Olympiad, where you compute the length x of the 3rd side which is the same as the radius, so that the sides of length 2,x, and 11 are inscribed on the arc of a semi-circle. The law of cosines applied twice gives the answer for x of exactly 7, but the arithmetic is so complex that the...
Is it possible to arrange six pencils such that each one touches the other five? If so, how? This is an adaption of a Martin Gardner puzzle only I changed it from cigarettes to pencils and left out the clues because PF folks don’t need clues. From the book “My Best Mathematical and Logic Puzzles”. Dover, 1994.

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