Leningrad Mathematical Olympiads 1987-1991 (Contests in Mathematics Series ; Vol. 1) [Paperback]

Dmitry Fomin (Author), Alexey Kirichenko (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 096264014X | ISBN-13: 978-0962640148 | Publication Date: September 1, 1994

This book is representative of the oldest and most prestigious competitions held in the former Soviet Union. This material, formerly unavailable to the Western world, is now accessible in English for the first time.

Editorial Reviews

Review

An outstanding collection of inviting challenging problems graded by level of difficulty from middle school to high school. -- Loren C. Larson from The American Mathematical Monthly 104(1997)479-480

An outstanding collection of inviting challenging problems graded by level of difficulty from middle school to high school. --Loren C. Larson from The American Mathematical Monthly 104(1997)479-480

I warmly recommend it to anyone interested in mathematical competitions, or just in nice problems. -- Jósef Pelikán from Crux Mathematicorum with Mathematical Mayhem 23(1997)78-80

I warmly recommend it to anyone interested in mathematical competitions, or just in nice problems. --Jósef Pelikán from Crux Mathematicorum with Mathematical Mayhem 23(1997)78-80

The feeling of joy and happiness that overwhelmed me while reading this text is inexpressible in a few sentences. -- Medhat H. Rahim from School Science and Mathematics 98(1998)48-49

The feeling of joy and happiness that overwhelmed me while reading this text is inexpressible in a few sentences. --Medhat H. Rahim from School Science and Mathematics 98(1998)48-49

I warmly recommend it to anyone interested in mathematical competitions, or just in nice problems. --Jósef Pelikán from Crux Mathematicorum with Mathematical Mayhem 23(1997)78-80

The feeling of joy and happiness that overwhelmed me while reading this text is inexpressible in a few sentences. --Medhat H. Rahim from School Science and Mathematics 98(1998)48-49

About the Author

Dmitry V. Fomin was born in 1965. He graduated from Leningrad State University in 1986. His fields of interest are topology and combinatorics. He ran the math circle for gifted pupils during the years 1983-1989 and has much experience in educating able students of high school. He is also an executive secretary of the St. Petersburg Mathematical Olympiad's jury and a member of the Problems Committee of the International Tournament of Towns. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the Chair of High Geometry on the faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics of St. Petersburg State University. Alexey L. Kirichenko was born in 1967. He graduated from Leningrad State University in 1988. His area of interest is geometry of plane curves. He is also a computer scientist and consults in the area of computer graphics. For several years he was a member of the St. Petersburg Mathematical Olympiad's jury and ran math courses for gifted students during the years 1985-1990. Now he is a visiting lecturer of mathematics at St. Petersburg Electro-Technical University, teaching courses for high-ability undergraduates.

Product Details

• Paperback: 197 pages
• Publisher: MathPro Press (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 096264014X
• ISBN-13: 978-0962640148
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,636,431 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Competition problems does not mean hard, only good, November 4, 2000

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Leningrad Mathematical Olympiads 1987-1991 (Contests in Mathematics Series ; Vol. 1) (Paperback)

Whether it be known as the Soviet Union or Russia, there is a history of mathematical excellence in that country that few others can rival. The Leningrad Mathematical Olympiad is the oldest mathematics competition in Russia, having been founded in 1934 and being the impetus for other such competitions in the country.
There are several levels of the competition, starting at grade five and going through grade 10. This book presents the problems and solutions for those competitions for the years 1987 through 1991. At each level there are two sets of problems, one for the initial round and the second for the elimination round. Not only is this collection an excellent source of challenge type problems for use in middle and high school classes, competitions and clubs, they also provide insight into the level of mathematics instruction in Russia. While some of the problems are of course taxing, they are well stated and many rely more on insight rather than the application of heavy mathematical skill.
The phrase "competition problems" should mean well-stated and capable of direct solution rather than extremely difficult. These problems satisfy those requirements, and if you are looking for problems to challenge middle or high school students, this is a very good place to search.

Disclaimer: The author of this review is a member of the editorial board of The Contests in Mathematics Series.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book review, August 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Leningrad Mathematical Olympiads 1987-1991 (Contests in Mathematics Series ; Vol. 1) (Paperback)

This book is helpful in the fact that it can be used to see what kind of rating you will get before an exam.