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k a April Highlights and 2025 AoPS Online Class Information
jlacosta   0
Wednesday at 3:18 PM
Spring is in full swing and summer is right around the corner, what are your plans? At AoPS Online our schedule has new classes starting now through July, so be sure to keep your skills sharp and be prepared for the Fall school year! Check out the schedule of upcoming classes below.

WOOT early bird pricing is in effect, don’t miss out! If you took MathWOOT Level 2 last year, no worries, it is all new problems this year! Our Worldwide Online Olympiad Training program is for high school level competitors. AoPS designed these courses to help our top students get the deep focus they need to succeed in their specific competition goals. Check out the details at this link for all our WOOT programs in math, computer science, chemistry, and physics.

Looking for summer camps in math and language arts? Be sure to check out the video-based summer camps offered at the Virtual Campus that are 2- to 4-weeks in duration. There are middle and high school competition math camps as well as Math Beasts camps that review key topics coupled with fun explorations covering areas such as graph theory (Math Beasts Camp 6), cryptography (Math Beasts Camp 7-8), and topology (Math Beasts Camp 8-9)!

Be sure to mark your calendars for the following events:
[list][*]April 3rd (Webinar), 4pm PT/7:00pm ET, Learning with AoPS: Perspectives from a Parent, Math Camp Instructor, and University Professor
[*]April 8th (Math Jam), 4:30pm PT/7:30pm ET, 2025 MATHCOUNTS State Discussion
April 9th (Webinar), 4:00pm PT/7:00pm ET, Learn about Video-based Summer Camps at the Virtual Campus
[*]April 10th (Math Jam), 4:30pm PT/7:30pm ET, 2025 MathILy and MathILy-Er Math Jam: Multibackwards Numbers
[*]April 22nd (Webinar), 4:00pm PT/7:00pm ET, Competitive Programming at AoPS (USACO).[/list]
Our full course list for upcoming classes is below:
All classes run 7:30pm-8:45pm ET/4:30pm - 5:45pm PT unless otherwise noted.

Introductory: Grades 5-10

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Mon, Tue, Wed & Thurs, Jun 23 - Jun 26 (meets every day of the week!)
0 replies
jlacosta
Wednesday at 3:18 PM
0 replies
k i A Letter to MSM
Arr0w   23
N Sep 19, 2022 by scannose
Greetings.

I have seen many posts talking about commonly asked questions, such as finding the value of $0^0$, $\frac{1}{0}$,$\frac{0}{0}$, $\frac{\infty}{\infty}$, why $0.999...=1$ or even expressions of those terms combined as if that would make them defined. I have made this post to answer these questions once and for all, and I politely ask everyone to link this post to threads that are talking about this issue.
[list]
[*]Firstly, the case of $0^0$. It is usually regarded that $0^0=1$, not because this works numerically but because it is convenient to define it this way. You will see the convenience of defining other undefined things later on in this post.

[*]What about $\frac{\infty}{\infty}$? The issue here is that $\infty$ isn't even rigorously defined in this expression. What exactly do we mean by $\infty$? Unless the example in question is put in context in a formal manner, then we say that $\frac{\infty}{\infty}$ is meaningless.

[*]What about $\frac{1}{0}$? Suppose that $x=\frac{1}{0}$. Then we would have $x\cdot 0=0=1$, absurd. A more rigorous treatment of the idea is that $\lim_{x\to0}\frac{1}{x}$ does not exist in the first place, although you will see why in a calculus course. So the point is that $\frac{1}{0}$ is undefined.

[*]What about if $0.99999...=1$? An article from brilliant has a good explanation. Alternatively, you can just use a geometric series. Notice that
\begin{align*}
\sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \frac{9}{10^n}&=9\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{1}{10^n}=9\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\biggr(\frac{1}{10}\biggr)^n=9\biggr(\frac{\frac{1}{10}}{1-\frac{1}{10}}\biggr)=9\biggr(\frac{\frac{1}{10}}{\frac{9}{10}}\biggr)=9\biggr(\frac{1}{9}\biggr)=\boxed{1}
\end{align*}
[*]What about $\frac{0}{0}$? Usually this is considered to be an indeterminate form, but I would also wager that this is also undefined.
[/list]
Hopefully all of these issues and their corollaries are finally put to rest. Cheers.

2nd EDIT (6/14/22): Since I originally posted this, it has since blown up so I will try to add additional information per the request of users in the thread below.

INDETERMINATE VS UNDEFINED

What makes something indeterminate? As you can see above, there are many things that are indeterminate. While definitions might vary slightly, it is the consensus that the following definition holds: A mathematical expression is be said to be indeterminate if it is not definitively or precisely determined. So how does this make, say, something like $0/0$ indeterminate? In analysis (the theory behind calculus and beyond), limits involving an algebraic combination of functions in an independent variable may often be evaluated by replacing these functions by their limits. However, if the expression obtained after this substitution does not provide sufficient information to determine the original limit, then the expression is called an indeterminate form. For example, we could say that $0/0$ is an indeterminate form.

But we need to more specific, this is still ambiguous. An indeterminate form is a mathematical expression involving at most two of $0$, $1$ or $\infty$, obtained by applying the algebraic limit theorem (a theorem in analysis, look this up for details) in the process of attempting to determine a limit, which fails to restrict that limit to one specific value or infinity, and thus does not determine the limit being calculated. This is why it is called indeterminate. Some examples of indeterminate forms are
\[0/0, \infty/\infty, \infty-\infty, \infty \times 0\]etc etc. So what makes something undefined? In the broader scope, something being undefined refers to an expression which is not assigned an interpretation or a value. A function is said to be undefined for points outside its domain. For example, the function $f:\mathbb{R}^{+}\cup\{0\}\rightarrow\mathbb{R}$ given by the mapping $x\mapsto \sqrt{x}$ is undefined for $x<0$. On the other hand, $1/0$ is undefined because dividing by $0$ is not defined in arithmetic by definition. In other words, something is undefined when it is not defined in some mathematical context.

WHEN THE WATERS GET MUDDIED

So with this notion of indeterminate and undefined, things get convoluted. First of all, just because something is indeterminate does not mean it is not undefined. For example $0/0$ is considered both indeterminate and undefined (but in the context of a limit then it is considered in indeterminate form). Additionally, this notion of something being undefined also means that we can define it in some way. To rephrase, this means that technically, we can make something that is undefined to something that is defined as long as we define it. I'll show you what I mean.

One example of making something undefined into something defined is the extended real number line, which we define as
\[\overline{\mathbb{R}}=\mathbb{R}\cup \{-\infty,+\infty\}.\]So instead of treating infinity as an idea, we define infinity (positively and negatively, mind you) as actual numbers in the reals. The advantage of doing this is for two reasons. The first is because we can turn this thing into a totally ordered set. Specifically, we can let $-\infty\le a\le \infty$ for each $a\in\overline{\mathbb{R}}$ which means that via this order topology each subset has an infimum and supremum and $\overline{\mathbb{R}}$ is therefore compact. While this is nice from an analytic standpoint, extending the reals in this way can allow for interesting arithmetic! In $\overline{\mathbb{R}}$ it is perfectly OK to say that,
\begin{align*}
a + \infty = \infty + a & = \infty, & a & \neq -\infty \\
a - \infty = -\infty + a & = -\infty, & a & \neq \infty \\
a \cdot (\pm\infty) = \pm\infty \cdot a & = \pm\infty, & a & \in (0, +\infty] \\
a \cdot (\pm\infty) = \pm\infty \cdot a & = \mp\infty, & a & \in [-\infty, 0) \\
\frac{a}{\pm\infty} & = 0, & a & \in \mathbb{R} \\
\frac{\pm\infty}{a} & = \pm\infty, & a & \in (0, +\infty) \\
\frac{\pm\infty}{a} & = \mp\infty, & a & \in (-\infty, 0).
\end{align*}So addition, multiplication, and division are all defined nicely. However, notice that we have some indeterminate forms here which are also undefined,
\[\infty-\infty,\frac{\pm\infty}{\pm\infty},\frac{\pm\infty}{0},0\cdot \pm\infty.\]So while we define certain things, we also left others undefined/indeterminate in the process! However, in the context of measure theory it is common to define $\infty \times 0=0$ as greenturtle3141 noted below. I encourage to reread what he wrote, it's great stuff! As you may notice, though, dividing by $0$ is undefined still! Is there a place where it isn't? Kind of. To do this, we can extend the complex numbers! More formally, we can define this extension as
\[\mathbb{C}^*=\mathbb{C}\cup\{\tilde{\infty}\}\]which we call the Riemann Sphere (it actually forms a sphere, pretty cool right?). As a note, $\tilde{\infty}$ means complex infinity, since we are in the complex plane now. Here's the catch: division by $0$ is allowed here! In fact, we have
\[\frac{z}{0}=\tilde{\infty},\frac{z}{\tilde{\infty}}=0.\]where $\tilde{\infty}/\tilde{\infty}$ and $0/0$ are left undefined. We also have
\begin{align*}
z+\tilde{\infty}=\tilde{\infty}, \forall z\ne -\infty\\
z\times \tilde{\infty}=\tilde{\infty}, \forall z\ne 0
\end{align*}Furthermore, we actually have some nice properties with multiplication that we didn't have before. In $\mathbb{C}^*$ it holds that
\[\tilde{\infty}\times \tilde{\infty}=\tilde{\infty}\]but $\tilde{\infty}-\tilde{\infty}$ and $0\times \tilde{\infty}$ are left as undefined (unless there is an explicit need to change that somehow). One could define the projectively extended reals as we did with $\mathbb{C}^*$, by defining them as
\[{\widehat {\mathbb {R} }}=\mathbb {R} \cup \{\infty \}.\]They behave in a similar way to the Riemann Sphere, with division by $0$ also being allowed with the same indeterminate forms (in addition to some other ones).
23 replies
Arr0w
Feb 11, 2022
scannose
Sep 19, 2022
k i Marathon Threads
LauraZed   0
Jul 2, 2019
Due to excessive spam and inappropriate posts, we have locked the Prealgebra and Beginning Algebra threads.

We will either unlock these threads once we've cleaned them up or start new ones, but for now, do not start new marathon threads for these subjects. Any new marathon threads started while this announcement is up will be immediately deleted.
0 replies
LauraZed
Jul 2, 2019
0 replies
k i Basic Forum Rules and Info (Read before posting)
jellymoop   368
N May 16, 2018 by harry1234
f (Reminder: Do not post Alcumus or class homework questions on this forum. Instructions below.) f
Welcome to the Middle School Math Forum! Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the rules.

Overview:
[list]
[*] When you're posting a new topic with a math problem, give the topic a detailed title that includes the subject of the problem (not just "easy problem" or "nice problem")
[*] Stay on topic and be courteous.
[*] Hide solutions!
[*] If you see an inappropriate post in this forum, simply report the post and a moderator will deal with it. Don't make your own post telling people they're not following the rules - that usually just makes the issue worse.
[*] When you post a question that you need help solving, post what you've attempted so far and not just the question. We are here to learn from each other, not to do your homework. :P
[*] Avoid making posts just to thank someone - you can use the upvote function instead
[*] Don't make a new reply just to repeat yourself or comment on the quality of others' posts; instead, post when you have a new insight or question. You can also edit your post if it's the most recent and you want to add more information.
[*] Avoid bumping old posts.
[*] Use GameBot to post alcumus questions.
[*] If you need general MATHCOUNTS/math competition advice, check out the threads below.
[*] Don't post other users' real names.
[*] Advertisements are not allowed. You can advertise your forum on your profile with a link, on your blog, and on user-created forums that permit forum advertisements.
[/list]

Here are links to more detailed versions of the rules. These are from the older forums, so you can overlook "Classroom math/Competition math only" instructions.
Posting Guidelines
Update on Basic Forum Rules
What belongs on this forum?
How do I write a thorough solution?
How do I get a problem on the contest page?
How do I study for mathcounts?
Mathcounts FAQ and resources
Mathcounts and how to learn

As always, if you have any questions, you can PM me or any of the other Middle School Moderators. Once again, if you see spam, it would help a lot if you filed a report instead of responding :)

Marathons!
Relays might be a better way to describe it, but these threads definitely go the distance! One person starts off by posting a problem, and the next person comes up with a solution and a new problem for another user to solve. Here's some of the frequently active marathons running in this forum:
[list][*]Algebra
[*]Prealgebra
[*]Proofs
[*]Factoring
[*]Geometry
[*]Counting & Probability
[*]Number Theory[/list]
Some of these haven't received attention in a while, but these are the main ones for their respective subjects. Rather than starting a new marathon, please give the existing ones a shot first.

You can also view marathons via the Marathon tag.

Think this list is incomplete or needs changes? Let the mods know and we'll take a look.
368 replies
jellymoop
May 8, 2015
harry1234
May 16, 2018
2⁠0⁠⁠2⁠4
Technodoggo   79
N 6 hours ago by jkim0656
Happy New Year!
To celebrate the start of 2024, I've decided to put up a few facts about the year. I don't have many, so y'all should also

1

2

(1 and 2 are the same :sob: just distribute)

Post more cool facts here! Keep a running chain with quote boxes for facts. (I don't know if this technically qualifies as a marathon, but I hope this is allowed lol)
79 replies
Technodoggo
Jan 1, 2024
jkim0656
6 hours ago
9 fun factory or boredom buster!
jkim0656   0
6 hours ago
dunno which forum to put this in but...
fun factory or boredom buster!
I've seen both and dunno which one to be active on
the two forum giants tbh
sooo which one's better?
0 replies
jkim0656
6 hours ago
0 replies
AoPS Wiki signs out
k1glaucus   19
N Today at 4:06 AM by derekwang2048
Summary of the problem: Whenever I go to AoPS wiki, it signs me out
Page URL: https://artofproblemsolving.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
Steps to reproduce:
1. Go to AoPS wiki
2. In the top right where normally it would show your profile, it shows the sign in button
3. Pressing the sign in button also does not do anything for me, it just refreshes the page
4. If I go to any page I can't edit it, so it's not just a display bug
Expected behavior: I stay signed in
Frequency: Every time
Operating system(s): macOS Sonoma
Browser(s), including version: Safari
Additional information: Clicking sign in doesn't work, it just refrfeshes the page, and if I go to any other page I'm signed in again.
19 replies
k1glaucus
Wednesday at 4:18 PM
derekwang2048
Today at 4:06 AM
mathcounts state score thread
Soupboy0   56
N Today at 4:05 AM by aoh11
\begin{table}[]
\begin{tabular}{llllll}
Username & Score & Sprint & Target & Nats? & Sillies \\
     Soupboy0    &     40  &     24   &   16     &    yes  &    6     \\
         &       &        &        &       &         \\
         &       &        &        &       &        
\end{tabular}\end{table}
56 replies
Soupboy0
Apr 1, 2025
aoh11
Today at 4:05 AM
Introducing myself at AoPS, and what's your magic wand?
asuth_asuth   356
N Today at 4:04 AM by jkim0656
Hi!

I'm Andrew Sutherland. I'm the new Chief Product Officer at AoPS. As you may have read, Richard is retiring and Ben Kornell and I are working together to lead the company now. I'm leading all the software and digital stuff at AoPS. I just wanted to say hello and introduce myself! I'm really excited to be part of the special community that is AoPS.

Previously, I founded Quizlet as a 15-year-old high school student. I did Course 6 at MIT and then left to lead Quizlet full-time for a total of 14 years. I took a few years off and now I'm doing AoPS! I wrote more about all that on my blog: https://asuth.com/im-joining-aops

I have a question for all of you. If you could wave a magic wand, and change anything about AoPS, what would it be? All suggestions welcome! Thank you.
356 replies
asuth_asuth
Mar 30, 2025
jkim0656
Today at 4:04 AM
real math problems
Soupboy0   39
N Today at 3:59 AM by aoh11
Ill be posting questions once in a while. Here's the first question:

What fraction of numbers from $1$ to $1000$ have the digit $7$ and are divisible by $3$?
39 replies
Soupboy0
Mar 25, 2025
aoh11
Today at 3:59 AM
The daily problem!
Leeoz   59
N Today at 3:47 AM by HacheB2031
Every day, I will try to post a new problem for you all to solve! If you want to post a daily problem, you can! :)

Please hide solutions and answers, hints are fine though! :)

The first problem is:
[quote=March 21st Problem]Alice flips a fair coin until she gets 2 heads in a row, or a tail and then a head. What is the probability that she stopped after 2 heads in a row? Express your answer as a common fraction.[/quote]

Past Problems!
59 replies
Leeoz
Mar 21, 2025
HacheB2031
Today at 3:47 AM
2025 MATHCOUNTS State Hub
SirAppel   241
N Today at 3:31 AM by minigrape1985
Previous Years' "Hubs": (2022) (2023) (2024)Please Read

Now that it's April and we're allowed to discuss, and no one else has made this yet ...
[list=disc]
[*] CA: 43 (45 44 43 43 43 42 42 41 41 41)
[*] NJ: 43 (45 44 44 43 39 42 40 40 39 38) *
[*] NY: 42 (43 42 42 42 41 40)
[*] TX: 42 (43 43 43 42 42 40 40 38 38 38)
[*] MA: 41 (45 43 42 41)
[*] WA: 41 (41 45 42 41 41 41 41 41 41 40) *
[*] FL: 39 (42 41 40 39 38 37 37)
[*] IN: 39 (41 40 40 39 36 35 35 35 34 34)
[*] NC: 39 (42 42 41 39)
[*] IL: 38 (41 40 39 38 38 38)
[*] OR: 38 (44 41? 38 38)
[*] PA: 38 (41 40 40 38 38 37 36 36 34 34) *
[*] MD: 37 (43 39 39 37 37 37)
[*] CT: 36 (44 39? 38 36 34 34 34 34)
[*] MI: 36 (39 41 41 36 37 37 36 36 36 36) *
[*] MN: 36 (40 36 36 36 35 35 35 34)
[*] CO: 35 (41 37 37 35 35 35 ?? 31 31 30) *
[*] GA: 35 (38 37 36 35 34 34 34 34 34 33)
[*] OH: 35 (41 37 36 35)
[*] AR: 34 (46 45 35 34 33 31 31 31 29 29)
[*] WI: 34 (40 37 37 34 35 30 28 29 29 29) *
[*] NH: 31 (42 35 33 31 30)
[*] DE: 30 (34 33 32 30 30 29 28 27 26? 24)
[*] SC: 30 (33 33 31 30)
[*] IA: 29 (33 30 31 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29) *
[*] NE: 28 (34 30 28 28 27 27 26 26 25 25)
[*] SD: 22 (30 29 24 22 22 22 21 21 20 20)
[/list]
Cutoffs Unknown

* means that CDR is official in that state.

Notes

For those asking about the removal of the tiers, I'd like to quote Jason himself:
[quote=peace09]
learn from my mistakes
[/quote]

Help contribute by sharing your state's cutoffs!
As per last year's guidelines, refrain from problem discussion until their official release on the MATHCOUNTS website.
241 replies
SirAppel
Apr 1, 2025
minigrape1985
Today at 3:31 AM
Mathcounts state iowa
iwillregretthisnamelater   15
N Today at 1:40 AM by PuppyPenguinDolphin
Ok I’m a 6th grader in Iowa who got 38 in chapter which was first, so what are the chances of me getting in nats? I should feel confident but I don’t. I have a week until states and I’m getting really anxious. What should I do? And also does the cdr count in Iowa? Because I heard that some states do cdr for fun or something and that it doesn’t count to final standings.
15 replies
iwillregretthisnamelater
Mar 20, 2025
PuppyPenguinDolphin
Today at 1:40 AM
Probability problem
huajun78   0
Today at 1:24 AM
A spinner is colored with 5 red sectors and 5 black sectors, with each sector of equal area. Two sectors
are then randomly labeled W. I then spin the spinner twice. What is the probability that in both
spins, I land on a sector labeled W that is red?
0 replies
huajun78
Today at 1:24 AM
0 replies
mathcounts state discussion
Soupboy0   59
N Today at 12:31 AM by Pi_isCool31415
les goo its finally april
59 replies
Soupboy0
Apr 1, 2025
Pi_isCool31415
Today at 12:31 AM
Simple problem on percentages
ohiorizzler1434   10
N Today at 12:22 AM by avyaank
Fanum and Kai Cenat are getting taxed. If Fanum's tax increases by 60%, then Fanum will be taxed 24 dollars. If Kai Cenat's tax increases by 20%, then he would also be taxed 24 dollars.

How much more is Kai Cenat taxed than Fanum?
10 replies
ohiorizzler1434
Feb 20, 2024
avyaank
Today at 12:22 AM
Darkmode
tyrantfire4   6
N Yesterday at 9:49 PM by FeistyAlpaca99
How do you turn on dark mode
I've looked everywhere
I have Chrome and a fire tablet
6 replies
tyrantfire4
Yesterday at 6:59 PM
FeistyAlpaca99
Yesterday at 9:49 PM
Can't search in PMs
ChaitraliKA   11
N Yesterday at 4:05 PM by ChaitraliKA
Summary of the problem: searching literally anything doesn't give any results
Page URL: https://artofproblemsolving.com/community/search-private
Steps to reproduce:
1. Search literally anything!!! Any key words that you know are obviously present in your PMs. It does not give any search results.
Expected behavior: it should give search results similar to searching in forums
Frequency: every time
Browser(s), including version: chrome
Additional information: I tried on multiple devices
11 replies
ChaitraliKA
Wednesday at 1:04 PM
ChaitraliKA
Yesterday at 4:05 PM
k Suggestion: Creating Personal Alcumus Problems
franzliszt   35
N Sep 25, 2019 by LauraZed
This suggestion doesn't mean that users can just add problems to the topics like Algebra and C+P for everyone. Instead, it means that users can add personal problems that they came up with for themselves only. For example, if you missed a Algebra question from school, you can add it to your personal Alcumus for reveiw.

It would be cool if you could create new Subjects for yourself too. For example, you could create a "AIME" subject and just enter AIME problems in to practice.

Note: you can even create non-math problems like spelling and vocabulary and physics etc...
35 replies
franzliszt
Sep 23, 2019
LauraZed
Sep 25, 2019
Suggestion: Creating Personal Alcumus Problems
G H J
G H BBookmark kLocked kLocked NReply
The post below has been deleted. Click to close.
This post has been deleted. Click here to see post.
franzliszt
23531 posts
#1 • 20 Y
Y by BobRascal, riben, Kendo_Larrs, foxtrot3, smartninja2000, hdrcure, vsamc, Eth007, prestonh, coolmath_2018, 2019wildcat, Happy88, PhysicsMonster_01, GCA, Vasu090, AnimalLover111, H-23, v4913, Adventure10, Mango247
This suggestion doesn't mean that users can just add problems to the topics like Algebra and C+P for everyone. Instead, it means that users can add personal problems that they came up with for themselves only. For example, if you missed a Algebra question from school, you can add it to your personal Alcumus for reveiw.

It would be cool if you could create new Subjects for yourself too. For example, you could create a "AIME" subject and just enter AIME problems in to practice.

Note: you can even create non-math problems like spelling and vocabulary and physics etc...
This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by franzliszt, Sep 23, 2019, 7:04 PM
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BotBuilder
1072 posts
#2 • 3 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10, Mango247
oooooh, cool!
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Tiancheng
283 posts
#3 • 3 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10, Mango247
Good idea!
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OliverA
2588 posts
#4 • 3 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10, Mango247
Well, would you get points off of them?
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franzliszt
23531 posts
#5 • 3 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10, Mango247
OliverA wrote:
Well, would you get points off of them?

No they are just for your personal practice and not the general public. Maybe you can get personal points.
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riben
2176 posts
#6 • 3 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10, Mango247
I would love this! Will this suggestion allow users to input non-math problems, like physics or chemistry? :maybe:
Also, these problems only show up for the user, not for anyone else, correct?
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BotBuilder
1072 posts
#7 • 2 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10
riben wrote:
I would love this! Will this suggestion allow users to input non-math problems, like physics or chemistry? :maybe:
Also, these problems only show up for the user, not for anyone else, correct?

yes, they only show up for the user... That would be weird if it showed up for everyone...
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BotBuilder
1072 posts
#8 • 2 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10
I think it is a great idea!
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franzliszt
23531 posts
#9 • 3 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10, Mango247
riben wrote:
I would love this! Will this suggestion allow users to input non-math problems, like physics or chemistry? :maybe:
Also, these problems only show up for the user, not for anyone else, correct?

Yes! Even maybe spelling problems! Or vocabulary problems!
And yes. They are completely personal!
This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by franzliszt, Sep 23, 2019, 7:01 PM
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BotBuilder
1072 posts
#10 • 2 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10
franzliszt wrote:
riben wrote:
I would love this! Will this suggestion allow users to input non-math problems, like physics or chemistry? :maybe:
Also, these problems only show up for the user, not for anyone else, correct?

Yes! Even maybe spelling problems! Or vocabulary problems!
And yes. They are completely personal!

oh, i didn't think of that!
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TKINCAID
929 posts
#11 • 2 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10
riben wrote:
Even maybe spelling problems! Or vocabulary problems!
And yes. They are completely personal!

Genius!
This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by TKINCAID, Sep 24, 2019, 1:42 AM
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BerendQ
306 posts
#12 • 2 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10
using it for your french class...
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JustKeepRunning
2958 posts
#13 • 2 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10
franzliszt wrote:
This suggestion doesn't mean that users can just add problems to the topics like Algebra and C+P for everyone. Instead, it means that users can add personal problems that they came up with for themselves only. For example, if you missed a Algebra question from school, you can add it to your personal Alcumus for reveiw.

It would be cool if you could create new Subjects for yourself too. For example, you could create a "AIME" subject and just enter AIME problems in to practice.

Note: you can even create non-math problems like spelling and vocabulary and physics etc...

Great idea. Alcumus can have a topic for "incorrect", too.
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LJCoder619
1581 posts
#14 • 2 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10
oh cooool
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hdrcure
1503 posts
#15 • 2 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10
Yeah I love that idea! That would be so awesome- like your personal math trainer! But sadly that would be hard to make. It would be way cool if they could! :first:


But for only AoPS related topics, right? U could choose a subcategory and make problems within that??? Oh and would you input the answer and then come back for it when you forgot the answer?
This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by hdrcure, Sep 24, 2019, 11:57 PM
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mathboykl2018
823 posts
#16 • 2 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10
That's a GREAT idea. :w00t:
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montana_mathlete
1422 posts
#17 • 2 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10
While I think that this is a great idea, this is likely the response this thread will get.
LauraZed wrote:
Thanks for the feedback! I'll add it to the wishlist, but will give the usual caveat that I can't guarantee that the devs would get to this at any point in the near future.
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vsamc
3787 posts
#18 • 3 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10, Mango247
Yeah true, but actually, phenomenal idea. :)
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TKINCAID
929 posts
#19 • 2 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10
like, amazing!!!
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Madelyn
178 posts
#20 • 3 Y
Y by MrMustache, v4913, Adventure10
Something like this already exists, it's called Quizlet.
This is an interesting idea though.
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LJCoder619
1581 posts
#21 • 3 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10, Mango247
Madelyn wrote:
Something like this already exists, it's called Quizlet.
This is an interesting idea though.
oh yeah :P
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SamuraiA
4882 posts
#25 • 2 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10
Good idea!
I could use this to add Pokémon themed word problems!
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sub_math
1967 posts
#27 • 3 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10, Mango247
wait this is pretty high iq

i want this :)
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OliverA
2588 posts
#29 • 4 Y
Y by Happy88, MrMustache, v4913, Adventure10
If I were in charge of AoPS, I wouldn't include this, because it takes a ton of effort to produce one quality problem. Sure, the AoPS staff borrows problems, but it also make many of its own. With that amazing amount of work and effort put into the already available topics, having you own problems would make the effort less appreciated. A great part of Alcumus is that they are selectively chosen as good, high-quality problems. As post 20 (Madelyn) noted, use Quizlet for this this.

Without any offense made to anybody, allowing you to put your own personal problems in will detract from Alcumus, because it is hard to find good quality problems. The AoPS staff are paid to do this, and have done so excellently, and I've only Reported a few of the problems for things, many mostly minor things.

There are other problems as well, such as solutions. Would solutions be included? Would you learn from those questions without solutions? What if the question from you school had no solution? Would you write your own? Would you learn form your own solution?

In short, I do not agree with this idea.
This post has been edited 3 times. Last edited by OliverA, Sep 25, 2019, 3:53 AM
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GCA
935 posts
#30 • 2 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10
@OliverA - I think everyone is saying that you could make a whole new topic for your personal problems. It would be cool, but there are a few issues with this:

1) To make it possible for Alcumus to grade your response, you have to put the answer into the system, partially destroying the point of it

2) Alcumus has a whole database of correct possible responses, and it would be complicated for users to figure out all of these

3) There are other websites like Quizlets that could serve the same purpose and it would save AoPS developers a lot of work.

Edit: so overall it sound super cool, but when we look more closely, it may be less exciting than we first expected
This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by GCA, Sep 25, 2019, 3:51 AM
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riben
2176 posts
#31 • 2 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10
GCA wrote:
3) There are other websites like Quizlets that could serve the same purpose and it would save AoPS developers a lot of work.

Correct me if I am wrong, but websites like Quizlet don't have AI. Quizlet just spams flashcards for you. If you get one wrong, it just gives you the card again. This is different from Alcumus, which has an intelligent AI system. Websites like Quizlet have a low AI compared to Alcumus.

This is literary the only reason I support this suggestion: Alcumus's awesome AI. Unless the Site Admins make the AI code open-source, which I highly doubt, I would love to see this near-impossible suggestion come true.
This post has been edited 3 times. Last edited by riben, Sep 25, 2019, 3:57 AM
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OliverA
2588 posts
#32 • 2 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10
Well, for these problems to work in Alcumus, others would have to do them so that the rating gain/loss is set for other users. Correct me if I'm wrong, but rating is really what makes Alcumus work, telling it which problems to give you and such. If there are no others to figure out what the rating gain/loss would be for each problem, then there couldn't be rating for those problems, and then how much different would it be from Quizlet?

Continuing the idea also adds the solution stuff, see my above post, and also there could be lack of problems. If you have like three problems in you Customized Alcumus, then, well...

Edit: I've decided to leave this to the AoPS Staff, because, well, I can only say my POV. Also please note that I'm writing these posts on the fly, so my brain might not be working correctly.
This post has been edited 4 times. Last edited by OliverA, Sep 25, 2019, 4:04 AM
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riben
2176 posts
#33 • 2 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10
Quizlet does not have a rating system. It is "binary:" right or wrong. The rating system is much more superior than wrong or right. Rating systems could still apply to problems as long users don't gain points from them. The goal of Alcumus is to learn by doing problems, not by gaining points, so I don't think users will care about the points. (I don't care about points.) Also, no one can remember all the answers to the problems they submit. If I submit problems, I'll come back to them weeks later and actually learn from them. If users are just answering questions like "1+1," then it's their fault. They aren't taking advantage of this opportunity to learn given to them by AoPS.

If there's a lack of problems, it's not the customized Alcumus' fault. It's the user. I would probably input 50 to 60 problems into it. And that's just for one subject...

The only problems about this suggestion is time and money. It would take a lot of time, and Alcumus is free. Many websites, like Quizlet, charge money for their "pro" services. Alcumus would probably be still free if this suggestion is considered (again, I doubt this suggestion will even be accepted), which makes it even more superior than Quizlet. Quizlet does have fancy features, such as pictures and pronunciations, but I almost never use them for the stuff I study for (physics, chemistry, history, etc.).

Edit: Good idea. Mine is not working properly too I think... :P
This post has been edited 8 times. Last edited by riben, Sep 25, 2019, 4:08 AM
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GCA
935 posts
#35 • 2 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10
Point conceded, Alcumus does have a better AI and a better tracking system for questions you have a hard time answering. This would definitely be cool addition to Alcumus, but in the midterm or if this never happens, we aren't left without options. Don't get me wrong, I hope this is implemented, but I do want to be able to point out the nuances of this idea. I just saw riben's 6th edit and I'm responding to it: I use quizlet without paying anything, and it work fine, I couldn't ask for more, you do get a lot of adds in the margins though...

Edit: and yes, the aops staff are going to make a better decision than we can
This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by GCA, Sep 25, 2019, 4:08 AM
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riben
2176 posts
#36 • 4 Y
Y by coolmath_2018, Carpemath, v4913, Adventure10
I paid for Quizlet pro, and I regretted it. I never needed those fancy features. All I need was a fancy AI, and Alcumus has it. Again, another advantage that Alcumus has. I have seen no website that offers an AI with the same level as Alcumus' or even greater.

If the Site Admins do deny this, we, the AoPS community, can try to create our own by mimicking the Alcumus AI (as long we don't publish it outside of AoPS I think). Alcumus follows a pattern. If we could identify it and use it to our advantage, our dreams will come true. Of course, observing a highly intelligent learning system will be difficult and time consuming. Not including the time it will take to make it...

Also, custom problems might mean custom quests! Now, that will make all our custom quests idea in the Alcumus forum be a reality! Wait. I'm getting ahead of myself. Maybe later...
This post has been edited 2 times. Last edited by riben, Sep 25, 2019, 4:14 AM
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levans
5189 posts
#37 • 5 Y
Y by montana_mathlete, GCA, OliverA, v4913, Adventure10
It should be noted that the Alcumus AI is heavily influenced by how others answered the same problem. It basically would not work at all for questions that are only given to one person.
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TKINCAID
929 posts
#38 • 2 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10
levans wrote:
It should be noted that the Alcumus AI is heavily influenced by how others answered the same problem. It basically would not work at all for questions that are only given to one person.

Fair point.
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riben
2176 posts
#39 • 2 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10
levans wrote:
It should be noted that the Alcumus AI is heavily influenced by how others answered the same problem. It basically would not work at all for questions that are only given to one person.

Never knew that, so I guess a revision of this suggestion is necessary...

How about creating custom problems group (a group of problems)? These group of problems will be public, and other users can access them. If they want to do these problems, they can add the problem group to their own Alcumus. For example, let's say you and your friends are learning the multinomial theorem. You create a group of 50 to 60 multinomial problems. Your friends add your problem group to their Alcumus, and now Alcumus' AI can work properly since there are other people doing the problems. Will this work?

Edit: I just realized this could solve another problem. People say this will be useless since the person who creates the problems has to input their own solutions and answers. If they share these problems to other people, a deal can work out. For example, you want to learn multinomials, but your friend wants to learn geometric probability. You can write geometric probability problems for your friend, while your friend writes multinomials problems for you. Then, you and your friend share each other's group of problems. That way people can actually learn and there are multiple people! Therefore, Alcumus' AI should work. Of course, there needs to be more than 2 people. But finding people to do problems shouldn't be a problem unless these problems are pointless ones, like "What is 1+1?"
This post has been edited 4 times. Last edited by riben, Sep 25, 2019, 3:06 PM
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GCA
935 posts
#40 • 3 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10, Mango247
If we were allowed to make topics/groups of problems public accross all AoPS users, it could turn messy because inevitably, they'd want to edit them to be more clear, more answere options etc. etc. Perhaps make a similar system to Quizlet where the original creator can choose certain people who can edit the "set" and reports would go to them? Private sets may also have a place if this were implimented
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riben
2176 posts
#41 • 3 Y
Y by v4913, Adventure10, Mango247
GCA wrote:
If we were allowed to make topics/groups of problems public accross all AoPS users, it could turn messy because inevitably, they'd want to edit them to be more clear, more answere options etc. etc. Perhaps make a similar system to Quizlet where the original creator can choose certain people who can edit the "set" and reports would go to them? Private sets may also have a place if this were implimented

Yes. There could be admins/mods of group, where admins can add/remove problems and mods could only edit problems.

I'm not sure about private. If people aren't interested in a problem group, they can just ignore it. Private groups might be unnecessary.

I also agree on reporting groups. People might add inappropriate questions, so groups should have the option to be reported. If not, people could just email the Sheriff.
This post has been edited 3 times. Last edited by riben, Sep 25, 2019, 3:20 PM
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LauraZed
2582 posts
#42 • 9 Y
Y by GCA, OliverA, riben, moab33, montana_mathlete, Kendo_Larrs, mathboykl2018, v4913, Adventure10
Thanks for sharing the idea! However, we're not currently planning to add a functionality like this to Alcumus.

(If you want a slightly better than standard flashcard-like system where you can make your own decks, I liked Memrise in college – it would adapt how often it gave you particular cards based on whether you got them right or wrong previously. Since college is quite a few years ago for me, can't vouch for how Memrise works nowadays, but y'all could check it out.)
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