The Australian Mathematics Competition is a mathematics competition run by the Australian Maths Trust for students from year 3 to year 12, in Australia, and their equivalent grades in other countries.
History
The forerunner of the competition, first held in 1976, was open to students within the
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...
, and attracted 1,200 entries. In 1976 and 1977, the outstanding entrants were awarded the Burroughs medal.
[Canberra Mathematical Association et al.: High school mathematics competition for the Burroughs medal : solutions and statistics, Canberra College of Advanced Education, 1976]
In 1978, the competition became a nationwide event, and became known as the Australian Mathematics Competition for the Wales awards, with 60,000 students from Australia and
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
participating.
The competition has spread to countries such as New Zealand,
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
,
Fiji
Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...
,
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...
,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
, China and
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
. A French translation of the paper has been available since 1978, with Chinese translation being made available to Hong Kong and Taiwan students in 2000. Large print and
braille
Braille ( , ) is a Tactile alphabet, tactile writing system used by blindness, blind or visually impaired people. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displays that connect to computers and smartphone device ...
versions are also available.
In 2004, the competition was expanded to allow two more divisions, one for year five and six students, and another for year three and four students.
Format
The competition paper consists of twenty-five multiple-choice questions and five integer questions, which are ordered in increasing difficulty.
Students are allowed 75 minutes (60 minutes for the two primary papers) to read and answer the questions. Calculators are not permitted for secondary-level entrants, but geometrical aids such as rulers,
compass
A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with No ...
es,
protractor
A goniometer is an instrument that either measures an angle or allows an object to be rotated to a precise angular position. The term goniometry derives from two Greek words, γωνία (''gōnía'') 'angle' and μέτρον (''métron'') ' me ...
s and paper for working are permitted.
References
{{reflist
External links
An AMC fact sheet from the Australian Mathematics TrustAustralian Mathematics Trust websiteHistory of Australian Mathematics Competition, written by Emeritus Professor Peter Taylor (Former Executive Director of AMT)
1976 establishments in Australia
Education competitions in Australia
Mathematics competitions
Recurring events established in 1976