Colorado Mathematical Olympiad

Alexander Soifer

This book presents the 20-year account of the Colorado Mathematical Olympiad — its dreams and rewards, hard work and conflict. It features more than just original wonderful problems and their ingenious solutions; it tells a compelling story involving the lives of those who have been part of the Olympiad. The reader will meet Olympians and follow their paths as professionals. In the vast field of competition books, this book is unique, for it builds bridges between Olympiads and “real” mathematics by demonstrating through 20 “Further Explorations,” the trains of mathematical thought, showing how a solved Olympiad problem gives birth to deeper problems and leads to the forefront of mathematical research full of striking results and open problems. Like Gauss, Alexander Soifer would not hesitate to inject Eureka! at the right moment. Like van der Waerden, he can transform a dispassionate...