Annual William Lowell Putnam Mathematics Competition
Description of the Putnam Examination
The examination will be constructed to test originality as well as technical
competence. It is expected that the contestant will be familiar with the formal
theories embodied in undergraduate mathematics. It is assumed that such training,
designed for mathematics and physical science majors, will include somewhat
more sophisticated mathematical concepts than is the case in minimal courses.
Thus the differential equations course is presumed to include some references to
qualitative existence theorems and subtleties beyond the routine solution devices.
Questions will be included that cut across the bounds of various disciplines, and
self-contained questions that do not fit into any of the usual categories may be
included. It will be assumed that the contestant has acquired a familiarity with the
body of mathematical lore commonly discussed in mathematics clubs or in
courses with such titles as survey of the foundations of mathematics. It is also
expected that the self-contained questions involving elementary concepts from
group theory, set theory, graph theory, lattice theory, number theory, and cardinal
arithmetic will not be entirely foreign to the contestant’s experience. If you want to try
some sample questions, you might have at look at some of the journals put out by
the MAA. Since 1980,
the questions (and sometimes solutions) for each year's competition have been published in the
October issue of the American Mathematical
Monthly for the subsequent year. The
Mathematical Magazine usually publishes the Putnam problems in its February issue of the
subsequent year.
Last revised: April 6, 2000 (EA)
