Art of Problem Solving
AoPS Online AoPS Online
Math texts, online classes, and more
for students in grades 5-12.
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Books for Grades 5-12 Online Courses
Beast Academy Beast Academy
Engaging math books and online learning
for students ages 6-13.
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Books for Ages 6-13 Beast Academy Online
AoPS Academy AoPS Academy
Small live classes for advanced math
and language arts learners in grades 1-12.
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Have a great winter break! Please note that AoPS Online will not have classes Dec 21, 2024 through Jan 3, 2025.

The Art of Problem Solving Student Honor Code

The first thing a student will see on the class homepage is the short form of the AoPS Honor Code.

AoPS Honor Code

Before accessing the course homepage for the first time, please review these policies.

  • I will be respectful of all other AoPS users while in this class and on this site, as stated in the AoPS Terms of Service.
  • I will not present another's words or ideas as my own.

Students must agree to these principles before interacting with the class. Students have easy access to longer explanations of these two principles before agreeing (with the "More Info" button) and can review the Honor Code at any time during the class. We've reproduced the long form of the Honor Code below.

Parents, we hope that you'll join us in holding students to the Honor Code in all components of the course.

Respect others

All AoPS members have a right to experience a kind, welcoming, and safe environment. The same love of math and learning is what brings each of us to the site, so be good to one another.

Terms of Service

Note that in order to participate in any aspect of the Art of Problem Solving, you must first agree to our Terms of Service. The Terms of Service document clearly outlines which behaviors are and are not allowed while on the Art of Problem Solving website.

Be respectful

Almost any action a user takes while on the Art of Problem Solving website affects someone else in the community (other students, forum members, or site administrators). You must keep this in mind when choosing how to interact with the site and with other users on the site. AoPS students are expected to understand how others will be affected by their actions and then to act in an appropriately respectful manner.

Be empathetic

In order to act respectfully, you must first understand and believe that your actions on the site have similar effects to actions in other everyday life. For example, you should not make any comment on the site that you wouldn't be comfortable saying aloud in front of parents, siblings, and friends.

Do not take credit for work that is not your own

Do not present words or ideas that are not your own without properly giving credit.

It is supposed to be hard

The homework in AoPS classes requires complex and difficult thought. It requires creativity. Students need to struggle with deep and difficult problems in order to learn most effectively. When you take a shortcut through this process, you learn less.

Ask yourself: Why am I here? To become a math superstar? To be the best I can be? To learn? In order to achieve those goals you have to be willing to struggle with problems, welcoming adversity and challenge.

Collaborating with classmates

Work with other students! We very strongly believe that communication is an essential aspect of mathematics and working together is a great way to develop communication skills. However, you also need to understand the problem and participate meaningfully in the process in order to learn. When another student tells you the solution to a problem, that is not collaboration. When you watch another student solve a problem, that is not collaboration.

The solution that you submit should be your own solution in your own words. If you copy another student's solution into your assignment, this is misrepresenting another person's work as your own. If you are reading another student's solution as you create your assignment, this is misrepresenting another person's work as your own.

Use of the internet

You should not search for potential solutions to problems online or elsewhere. (Especially searching for the problem statement!) Using the internet to find answers is against our course policies! Instead, if you need some assistance with a particular problem, we welcome you to ask questions on your course message board. Your instructor and other AoPS staff members will be happy to help.

Again, the solution that you submit should be your own solution in your own words. If you copy a solution from the internet into your submission, this is misrepresenting the work as your own. If you are reading a solution from the internet as you create your submission, this is also misrepresenting work that is not your own.

Working with parents and tutors

Sometimes you need help and you have someone available.

Again, the solution that you submit should be your own solution in your own words. If you copy a solution from a friend, parent, or tutor into your submission, this is misrepresenting another person's work as your own. If you are reading a solution from a friend, parent, or tutor as you create your submission, this is misrepresenting another person's work as your own.

Give credit

When you do collaborate on your assignment or find an outside reference, be sure to cite your source. "My mom helped me with the second part," is a fine citation. "I worked in the classroom with Grogg and aleph_not" is as well.

Use the class Message Board

Don't forget that you can ask questions on the course message board. Posts you make on the class message board are forwarded to multiple class instructors who are happy to help. Use this resource! Hey (guess what?), you should use this resource.