Count Down: Six Kids Vie for Glory at the World's Toughest Math Competition (Hardcover)

by Steve Olson (Author) "On July 4, 1974, a bus carrying eight U.S. high school students wound through the narrow medieval streets of Erfurt, East Germany..." (more)
Key Phrases: high school mathematicians, math circles, talent account, United States, Forty-second Olympiad, Asian Americans (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Geometric figures and equations are relatively few and far between, the nonmathematically inclined may be relieved to know, in this elegant, balanced survey of competitive high school math by science writer Olson (Mapping Human History), who chronicles the progress of the six-member American team that participated in the 2001 Olympiad held in Washington, D.C. In between character sketches, the author examines such issues as whether "genius" is something you're born with (drawing parallels with musicians, he argues that it's those who practice the most who tend to do the best), why certain ethnic groups or nationalities do better than others (traditional rote problem-solving has handicapped U.S. students) and why girls are underrepresented in the fieldâ€"though the book opens with an account of the impressive career of Melanie Wood, the only girl so far to make the U.S. team (twice, in 1998 and 1999). Six problems taken from the Olympiad will challenge math buffs, who will also appreciate a joke about the waitress with a surprising knowledge of calculus. Contrary to the nerd stereotype, Olson portrays the young math whizzes as normal, well-adjusted kids who enjoy other activities like playing the piano and Ultimate Frisbee. Aimed at the general reader, this uplifting book should also draw fans of more technical recent math titles such as John Derbyshire's Prime Obsession or David Foster Wallace's Everything and More.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School–Olson has taken on an always-difficult task: discussing math in a manner interesting and understandable to a society full of math-o-phobics. He succeeds admirably by relegating most of the hard-core problems and solutions to an appendix, and by writing about much more than math. Structured around a chronicle of the United States team's participation in the International Mathematical Olympiad of 2001, the book focuses on such topics as the ambiguities of inspiration, insight, talent, and creativity; the cultural perception of mathematics; and various approaches to math education. The author introduces the key players: the six American teen contestants and their coaches. These portraits are spread out over the course of the volume, as are the problems offered at that year's Olympiad. This arrangement supports an engaging and mildly suspenseful read. Olson's user-friendly presentation of the problems serves to reinforce his argument that the United States is culturally averse to math compared with much of the rest of the world, and that American educators are definitely on the wrong path. The author does an excellent job of showcasing the better side of his subject. Unfortunately, many teens who would enjoy reading Count Down won't get past three words in the subtitle: "toughest math competition." Those who do will be rewarded.–Robert Saunderson, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (April 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618251413
• ISBN-13: 978-0618251414
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #511,778 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This Isn't SPELLBOUND, May 13, 2004

By	Steve Koss (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Having loved SPELLBOUND, and being both a mathematics major in college and a high school math teacher, I opened this book with great anticipation. Unfortunately, I closed it in utter disappointment a week later after forcing myself to finish it. From its name (an absurd attempt to create a sense of excitement which the author completely fails to deliver) to its cover subtitle to its book jacket text, this book promises to introduce us to "the kids," the brilliant young people who pursue mathematics out of talent, but also out of love for its artistry and unparalleled aesthetics. Instead, the author gives us rehash after rehash of "expert" opinion about genius, creativity, talent, problem-solving, and the like. Not one new or original idea, just repetition of material that's better read in its originals (e.g., Martin Gardner, or "Einstein and Picasso"). The one area that could have been truly original was to introduce the reader to the young mathematicians themselves. To prospective readers: if you read the generic, one-paragraph description of the six contestants from the book jacket, you'll know almost as much about these youngsters as if you had read the whole book.

Count Down is a missed opportunity, and unfortunately, its publication probably prohibits anyone else from writing the book that should have been written. Who are these six young people? Who are their families and teachers? How do they interact with the world, and how does the world interact with them? What are the dynamics among the six young people who make the team? What are they thinking as they try to solve the problems from the Olympiad? Steve Olson leaves these six very human youngsters as stick figures, wooden, nearly devoid of personality. He offers us no significant insight into their characters, their lives, or their families. As I read this book, I kept thinking how far short it falls from the richness of SPELLBOUND, both as a sociological statement about family, discipline, and goal-setting, as well as an exploration of directed intelligence and its effects on the young participants.

As one example, Chapter 8 is supposed to introduce us to a young man named Oaz Nir. After learning far more about his private school than we need (its motto, its wooded location helped with an unnecessarily pretentious quote from Faulkner, and knowing that the Mississippi Symphony played a concert there), we are treated to the following insights from his teachers:
"He was a good writer, interested in history."

"He was a good citizen at this school."
"We had to think of things to keep him busy."
"He taught me as much as I taught him."

It's a miracle he learned anything from teachers with this much depth and insight, and it's a waste of the reader's time to read such drivel. When Oaz learns that he has been invited to a summer math training camp, his response (according to the author) is: "I was very excited about going." A page later, the author apparently needs to cite David Brooks from the Atlantic Monthly to tell us that high schools have cliques, that "that's just the way life is."

Count Down is a huge disappointment, filled with banalities, wandering among topics like Good Will Hunting and a far-too-lengthy discussion of Andrew Wiles' experiences with Fermat's Last Theorem, and seemingly doing everything possible to avoid actually talking about the kids. What could have been a fascinating human study turns out to be a rehash of old math stories and quotations and debates about nature vs. nurture, genius, talent, creativity, and the like. The book lacks focus and utterly fails to introduce us to six fascinating young people. Even the attempts to make the Olympiad outcome exciting are feeble, including a misleading chapter title of "Triumph" and a bizarre build-up about the team coach and one player's score that inexplicably falls flat by ending with the coach saying "Five's fine," as though it never happened.

The ending includes a reference to a famous formula, e to the (i x pi) power = -1. The author mentions the amazing interconnectedness of different fields of math study displayed by this formula which only mathematicians will really appreciate. At the same time, he fails to note that another representation, e to the (i x pi) power + 1 = 0, which is far easier for the average reader to see the beauty of, since e, i, pi, 1, and 0, the five most significant values in mathematics, are related in a single equation.

All in all, a huge disappointment. The one star is for trying, and for at least writing a general interest book about math. But if you're looking for a math equivalent to SPELLBOUND, you'll have to look elsewhere.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honoring achievement, April 8, 2004

By	Mark Jablonski "markjabo" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Imagine a world where talent is honored, nurtured and rewarded. Imagine further that this world is populated by attractive, intelligent high school students who confidently pursue their goal to be the best in the world at what they do.

While it sounds like a great premise for a novel, Steve Olson's book, Countdown, is actually the non-fiction story of six high school students who are competing in the Forty-second International Mathematical Olympiad. What sets this book apart is the reverence and respect that Mr. Olson brings to the story of the six teens who were chosen from an applicant pool of nearly a half million candidates.

In evocative language usually reserved for sports heroes, Mr. Olson tells the story of the Olympiad and at the same time shatters nearly every math-geek stereotype that currently prevails in today's popular culture. Former Olympiad team member, Melanie Wood, is described as "an attractive, green-eyed, vivacious blond college student." On an appearance on Good Morning America Oaz Nir, "with his casual good looks and easygoing nature," is selected to answer a question that he is hearing for the first time on live television. The question: "How can you use a nineteen-degree angle to construct a one-degree angle?" No plot spoilers here, you'll have to read the book to find out the outcome.

Mr. Olson also touches on a range of philosophical issues and, in general, rejects explanations of the students' success that are based on determinism, genetics or racial background. Instead, he emphasizes that the success of all the students is a result of a keen intellectual curiosity, a playful and creative approach to problem-solving and a devotion to hard work.

The solution to the six math problems that made up the Forty-second Mathematical Olympiad are presented in the book's appendix. The source material that Mr. Olson used is summarized and offers a fascinating trove of additional material that readers might want to explore.

Countdown: Six Kids Vie for Glory at the World's Toughest Math Competition is an inspirational story of achievement. That the story is told by someone who clearly admires the accomplishments of these students makes the book a remarkable achievement in itself.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Long due, April 2, 2004

By	bal gombak (Cambridge, MA USA) - See all my reviews

When I first entered the International Math Olympiad, "the World's Toughtest Math Competition" in 1999, I wondered why aren't there more exposure to this great competition. It has its share of classical element and drama -- contestants from more than 80 countries matching wits (actually, mathematical problem solving skills) with each other, a long and proud tradition, global standard, and the lovely "genius factor". Within the competition, the standard of "genius" is shot through the roof; the hometown math wizard would be as common as the guy next door. In the age where people crave for the over-the-edge competitiveness (cue Spellbound documentary and Word Freak), this is an untap reservoir. Olympiad competitions, especially the Math Olympiad, are the pinnacle of common-knowledge, skill-centered academic competitiveness.

Read this if you want to peek into the world of the real math kids, as opposed to those 1000s of kids on the street whose moms brag about being "a math whiz".