ka July Highlights and 2025 AoPS Online Class Information
jwelsh0
Jul 1, 2025
We are halfway through summer, so be sure to carve out some time to keep your skills sharp and explore challenging topics at AoPS Online and our AoPS Academies (including the Virtual Campus)!
[list][*]Over 60 summer classes are starting at the Virtual Campus on July 7th - check out the math and language arts options for middle through high school levels.
[*]At AoPS Online, we have accelerated sections where you can complete a course in half the time by meeting twice/week instead of once/week, starting on July 8th:
[list][*]MATHCOUNTS/AMC 8 Basics
[*]MATHCOUNTS/AMC 8 Advanced
[*]AMC Problem Series[/list]
[*]Plus, AoPS Online has a special seminar July 14 - 17 that is outside the standard fare: Paradoxes and Infinity
[*]We are expanding our in-person AoPS Academy locations - are you looking for a strong community of problem solvers, exemplary instruction, and math and language arts options? Look to see if we have a location near you and enroll in summer camps or academic year classes today! New locations include campuses in California, Georgia, New York, Illinois, and Oregon and more coming soon![/list]
MOP (Math Olympiad Summer Program) just ended and the IMO (International Mathematical Olympiad) is right around the corner! This year’s IMO will be held in Australia, July 10th - 20th. Congratulations to all the MOP students for reaching this incredible level and best of luck to all selected to represent their countries at this year’s IMO! Did you know that, in the last 10 years, 59 USA International Math Olympiad team members have medaled and have taken over 360 AoPS Online courses. Take advantage of our Worldwide Online Olympiad Training (WOOT) courses
and train with the best! Please note that early bird pricing ends August 19th!
Are you tired of the heat and thinking about Fall? You can plan your Fall schedule now with classes at either AoPS Online, AoPS Academy Virtual Campus, or one of our AoPS Academies around the US.
Our full course list for upcoming classes is below:
All classes start 7:30pm ET/4:30pm PT unless otherwise noted.
Prealgebra 2
Friday, Jul 25 - Nov 21
Sunday, Aug 17 - Dec 14
Tuesday, Sep 9 - Jan 13
Thursday, Sep 25 - Jan 29
Sunday, Oct 19 - Feb 22
Monday, Oct 27 - Mar 2
Wednesday, Nov 12 - Mar 18
Introduction to Algebra A
Tuesday, Jul 15 - Oct 28
Sunday, Aug 17 - Dec 14
Wednesday, Aug 27 - Dec 17
Friday, Sep 5 - Jan 16
Thursday, Sep 11 - Jan 15
Sunday, Sep 28 - Feb 1
Monday, Oct 6 - Feb 9
Tuesday, Oct 21 - Feb 24
Sunday, Nov 9 - Mar 15
Friday, Dec 5 - Apr 3
Introduction to Counting & Probability
Wednesday, Jul 2 - Sep 17
Sunday, Jul 27 - Oct 19
Monday, Aug 11 - Nov 3
Wednesday, Sep 3 - Nov 19
Sunday, Sep 21 - Dec 14 (1:00 - 2:30 pm ET/10:00 - 11:30 am PT)
Friday, Oct 3 - Jan 16
Sunday, Oct 19 - Jan 25
Tuesday, Nov 4 - Feb 10
Sunday, Dec 7 - Mar 8
Introduction to Number Theory
Tuesday, Jul 15 - Sep 30
Wednesday, Aug 13 - Oct 29
Friday, Sep 12 - Dec 12
Sunday, Oct 26 - Feb 1
Monday, Dec 1 - Mar 2
Introduction to Algebra B
Friday, Jul 18 - Nov 14
Thursday, Aug 7 - Nov 20
Monday, Aug 18 - Dec 15
Sunday, Sep 7 - Jan 11
Thursday, Sep 11 - Jan 15
Wednesday, Sep 24 - Jan 28
Sunday, Oct 26 - Mar 1
Tuesday, Nov 4 - Mar 10
Monday, Dec 1 - Mar 30
Introduction to Geometry
Monday, Jul 14 - Jan 19
Wednesday, Aug 13 - Feb 11
Tuesday, Aug 26 - Feb 24
Sunday, Sep 7 - Mar 8
Thursday, Sep 11 - Mar 12
Wednesday, Sep 24 - Mar 25
Sunday, Oct 26 - Apr 26
Monday, Nov 3 - May 4
Friday, Dec 5 - May 29
Paradoxes and Infinity
Mon, Tue, Wed, & Thurs, Jul 14 - Jul 16 (meets every day of the week!)
Sat & Sun, Sep 13 - Sep 14 (1:00 - 4:00 PM PT/4:00 - 7:00 PM ET)
Intermediate: Grades 8-12
Intermediate Algebra
Sunday, Jul 13 - Jan 18
Thursday, Jul 24 - Jan 22
Friday, Aug 8 - Feb 20
Tuesday, Aug 26 - Feb 24
Sunday, Sep 28 - Mar 29
Wednesday, Oct 8 - Mar 8
Sunday, Nov 16 - May 17
Thursday, Dec 11 - Jun 4
Precalculus
Wednesday, Aug 6 - Jan 21
Tuesday, Sep 9 - Feb 24
Sunday, Sep 21 - Mar 8
Monday, Oct 20 - Apr 6
Sunday, Dec 14 - May 31
Advanced: Grades 9-12
Calculus
Sunday, Sep 7 - Mar 15
Wednesday, Sep 24 - Apr 1
Friday, Nov 14 - May 22
Contest Preparation: Grades 6-12
MATHCOUNTS/AMC 8 Basics
Tues & Thurs, Jul 8 - Aug 14 (meets twice a week!)
Sunday, Aug 17 - Nov 9
Wednesday, Sep 3 - Nov 19
Tuesday, Sep 16 - Dec 9
Sunday, Sep 21 - Dec 14 (1:00 - 2:30 pm ET/10:00 - 11:30 am PT)
Monday, Oct 6 - Jan 12
Thursday, Oct 16 - Jan 22
Tues, Thurs & Sun, Dec 9 - Jan 18 (meets three times a week!)
MATHCOUNTS/AMC 8 Advanced
Tues & Thurs, Jul 8 - Aug 14 (meets twice a week!)
Sunday, Aug 17 - Nov 9
Tuesday, Aug 26 - Nov 11
Thursday, Sep 4 - Nov 20
Friday, Sep 12 - Dec 12
Monday, Sep 15 - Dec 8
Sunday, Oct 5 - Jan 11
Tues, Thurs & Sun, Dec 2 - Jan 11 (meets three times a week!)
Mon, Wed & Fri, Dec 8 - Jan 16 (meets three times a week!)
AMC 10 Problem Series
Tues & Thurs, Jul 8 - Aug 14 (meets twice a week!)
Sunday, Aug 10 - Nov 2
Thursday, Aug 14 - Oct 30
Tuesday, Aug 19 - Nov 4
Mon & Wed, Sep 15 - Oct 22 (meets twice a week!)
Mon, Wed & Fri, Oct 6 - Nov 3 (meets three times a week!)
Tue, Thurs & Sun, Oct 7 - Nov 2 (meets three times a week!)
AMC 10 Final Fives
Friday, Aug 15 - Sep 12
Sunday, Sep 7 - Sep 28
Tuesday, Sep 9 - Sep 30
Monday, Sep 22 - Oct 13
Sunday, Sep 28 - Oct 19 (1:00 - 2:30 pm ET/10:00 - 11:30 am PT)
Wednesday, Oct 8 - Oct 29
Thursday, Oct 9 - Oct 30
AMC 12 Problem Series
Wednesday, Aug 6 - Oct 22
Sunday, Aug 10 - Nov 2
Monday, Aug 18 - Nov 10
Mon & Wed, Sep 15 - Oct 22 (meets twice a week!)
Tues, Thurs & Sun, Oct 7 - Nov 2 (meets three times a week!)
AMC 12 Final Fives
Thursday, Sep 4 - Sep 25
Sunday, Sep 28 - Oct 19
Tuesday, Oct 7 - Oct 28
I have seen many posts talking about commonly asked questions, such as finding the value of ,,,, why 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 . It is usually regarded that , 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 ? The issue here is that isn't even rigorously defined in this expression. What exactly do we mean by ? Unless the example in question is put in context in a formal manner, then we say that is meaningless.
[*]What about ? Suppose that . Then we would have , absurd. A more rigorous treatment of the idea is that does not exist in the first place, although you will see why in a calculus course. So the point is that is undefined.
[*]What about if ? An article from brilliant has a good explanation. Alternatively, you can just use a geometric series. Notice that
[*]What about ? 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 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 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 , or , 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 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 given by the mapping is undefined for . On the other hand, is undefined because dividing by 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 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 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 for each which means that via this order topology each subset has an infimum and supremum and is therefore compact. While this is nice from an analytic standpoint, extending the reals in this way can allow for interesting arithmetic! In it is perfectly OK to say that, So addition, multiplication, and division are all defined nicely. However, notice that we have some indeterminate forms here which are also undefined, 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 as greenturtle3141 noted below. I encourage to reread what he wrote, it's great stuff! As you may notice, though, dividing by 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 which we call the Riemann Sphere (it actually forms a sphere, pretty cool right?). As a note, means complex infinity, since we are in the complex plane now. Here's the catch: division by is allowed here! In fact, we have where and are left undefined. We also have Furthermore, we actually have some nice properties with multiplication that we didn't have before. In it holds that but and 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 , by defining them as They behave in a similar way to the Riemann Sphere, with division by also being allowed with the same indeterminate forms (in addition to some other ones).
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.
ki Basic Forum Rules and Info (Read before posting)
jellymoop368
NMay 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]
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.
In triangle and and are the midpoints of and respectively. Ray is extended past to a point such that the circumcircle of is tangent to Find the area of triangle
Let ABC be an equilateral triangle with a side length of 3. Points M and N are on sides BC and CA, respectively, such that BM = CN = 2. Point P is on side AB such that NP is perpendicular to AM. What is the length of AP ?
The challenge for you is to identify three distinct whole numbers where the result of adding them together is the same as the result of multiplying them together.
Define a 6-7 number pair to be a pair of consecutive positive integers such that when read out loud one after another, you hear the phrase "six seven". For example, 76, 77 is a 6-7 number pair since it is pronounced "seventy-six seventy-seven". Find a closed form for the number of 6-7 pairs in which both terms are less than
Sorry if this has a lot of brainrot lol. I thought of this while listening to brainrotted kids as a summer volunteer
Use the numbers (you must use all numbers) and the operations ONLY to create all positive integers in order. I will repeat 1 more time: ONLY these 4 operations (no concatenation or anything like totient etc.)
No using ChatGPT, programming, Wolfram|Alpha etc. to solve a number.
This is my smart mathathon! Try to create problems on this forum topic.
Example:
You could post this: Do in the smartest way possible (don't post this problem).
The post below the other post MUST include 2 answers from a above problem. First and second people who post do not have problems to solve, but they should make one.
This problem is the MATHCOUNTS 2019 Chapter Sprint #29. I have solved it before using mass points and area techniques, but that was after many failures. I actually tried it recently, and I wasn't able to do it. I would like to know if there is another solution instead of mass points. A solution using mass points is fine as well.
This is a part of a series that I’ve been working on. If y’all like this type of problem I can publish the whole set.
4. In the land of , the continent is divided into regions, as shown. Dragon island, far in the northeast, has just birthed dragolings. Dragolings are very territorial. Any dragoling next to another one of the same element will immediately attempt to annihilate one another and lay waste to the entire continent. You must assign each dragoling to its own region. Adjacent sides are NOT ok, but touching corners are. An old master informs you just before you convene your council that an extremely rare wind dragoling may be coming. He informs you that it must have one ice, fire, AND lightning adjacent to it or else it will be bored and also destroy the whole continent. Dismissing it as a myth, your council informs you that you have enough power to create new regions by cutting any already existing region in half by connecting points not adjacent to each other such that the line drawn passes through exactly region. As you ask your scouts what they saw, you realize in horror that they said they scouted fire, ice, lightning, and mysterious white dragon, the legendary wind dragon. This is not a Zelda reference even though my pfp says otherwise.
You have 10 minutes. (not really) Which 2 regions should you bisect to save the continent?
I'm back with a 2nd math story! :jump: Do you remember your first math competition? Was it scary? :noo: Did you brag a lot after it even though you were probably not as smart as you say? :flex: I think we all improved a lot since then! :icecream: Click to reveal hidden text
I was in fourth grade, at the time parents force kids to specialize in something. At the time, absolutely nothing appealed to me, not even what my friends enjoyed. Everyone thought I was kidding when I announced that I was no good at anything, since my graders were high compared to them. I knew I’m on a different path from them, but what?
I found out one freezing day in January, when my mom shook me off my bed and told me to put on my coat. I asked, “Where are we going? And she replied, “To a math competition.” I remembered how my friends at the Math Academy complained about the grueling tournaments. And I didn't have any experience! Before I could protest, she shoved the coat on me and we sped downtown in no time.
The high school was almost a skyscraper and the hugest school I’ve seen. At the shiny, wooden registration desk, a lady asked for my math team, but I didn’t know if I was on a team. I saw a few friends already in an extracurricular Math Academy, but I didn’t take their classes. My mom came to my rescue and led me to Mr. Li and his team of fifth graders. I was the youngest in the bunch. Mr. Li explained the scantron sheets, proctors, and rankings, but I was too scared to listen!
Some high schooler pushed me into a classroom the same size and shape as a jail cell. Gripping a timer as if his life depended on it, the proctor frowned at me. When the seats were full of 6th graders, the timer started. The test was a natural disaster of fractions, word problems, percents, bases, combinatorics, and geometry. I stumbled out of the test room crying. 60 minutes was enough time- but I couldn’t do half of the questions!
Chugging lemonade and crunching chips, I listened to Mr. Li announce our scores during break: the fifth graders got between 20 and 60, and I got a 14. A 14, the worst number in Chinese culture, meaning to win death! Tears formed in my eyes. My mom didn’t notice, too busy discussing the problems with her friend, how to convert between bases and such. When Mr. Li’s genius son, who was older than me by a year, bounced in the room, everyone congratulated him on getting a 97 on a 7th grade test. A wall of tears blocked my vision. I didn't want to be forced into Math, an endless void of nonstop calculation and competition, but here my mom was, pushing me into the void!
I dashed out the cafeteria, spilling the lemonade on a rug, bashing into a door, running down a hallway. I hid behind a trash can when I heard my mom shouting for me to return. I saw her coming and sped down the hall, behind the registration desk, and crashed into a thick, rubbery wall that came out of nowhere. Mr. Li’s voice shouted, “Everyone is looking for you! The ciphering is about to start!” Sprawled on the floor, I screamed, cornered by Mr. Li. He frog-marched me straight to the auditorium.
The four smartest fifth graders sat in the front rows, near the stage while high schoolers prepared the presentation. The spotlight shone on a table piled with trophies, twinkling, tantalizing, like the unreachable stars. The first problem flashed, a timer ticking in the bottom right corner, and I scribbled as fast as I can on my own scratch paper, but I couldn’t solve it before 2 minutes. Some people already had their hands up in the 30 second interval, earning 5 points for a correct answer!
My mom smiled like it was the most entertaining game in the world, “Don’t you like this as much as me?” I shook my head, but I wanted to catch up one day. To be fast, to be smart, to earn a grand trophy comprised of gold pillars supporting the cup. Brilliant stars shone, deep down, in the void!
After lunch with Mr. Li, his son, and lots of jokes, we returned for the awards ceremony. None of the fifth graders in his class won any trophies, but Mr. Li's son got 2nd among the 7th graders! Mr. Li pointed to his son on the stage and said, “You will be up there one day, with that trophy. I know it.” I wasn't sure I would, but I nodded, the corners of my eyes sparkling.
I chose the path to the stars.
Epilogue: Click to reveal hidden text
2 years later, I was a 6th grader and took Mr. Li's class. I was one of the school cipherers and won 2nd place at the same tournament! Thank you Mr. Li for lighting this path! Of course, I'm still pursuing brighter stars, grinding for bigger contests...
) What is the fastest way to solve this with paper and pencil only?: .
) Calculate .
) A car travels at miles per hour for hours and minutes. Then, the car increases its speed by miles per hour and continues for another hour and minutes. How far did the car travel in total?