The Power Round is a multi-part proof problem that lasts for 60 minutes. All the problems will be related to one overarching theme. The team members will work together on these problems. Answers should be given in the form of mathematical proofs, unless otherwise stated. All the necessary work to justify an answer and all the necessary steps of a proof must be shown clearly to obtain full credit. Partial credit may be awarded for answers that are incomplete but show significant progress toward a solution. On each sheet you turn in, indicate the problem number in the upper left-hand corner and team name in the upper right-hand corner. Do not put answers to differently numbered problems on the same sheet.

The Team Round consists of ten questions with numerical answers, and it lasts for 20 minutes. In this round, the team members will work together and turn in a single answer sheet. Follow the Numerical Answering Guideline: all answers must be reduced to the lowest possible form; fractions and radicals must be reduced. Irrational and imaginary numbers can be in the denominator, as long as they are in the most reduced form. Multiple answers (unless called for) and/or illegible answers will receive no credit. Leaving a question blank does not yield extra points, nor do wrong answers receive any penalties.

The round consists of 10 questions, and lasts 105 minutes. Each question will be worth 1 point, for a total of 10 points. Participants will spend 10 minutes on the first 2 questions, the next 10 minutes on the next 2 questions, and so on. The answer, and only the answer, should be written in the designated space on the answer sheet provided by the proctor. Illegible and/or multiple answers will receive no credit. Leaving a question blank does not yield extra points, nor do wrong answers receive any penalties. All answers should follow the Numerical Answering Guideline.

Each individual’s score is the sum of the scores of all 10 questions. Each individual’s score contributes equally to the team’s score from the individual round.

Each team will be broken down into groups of 3. Each of the 3 people will receive a different problem. When the first person solves their problem, they write the answer on a small piece of paper and pass it down to the second person. The second person needs that number to solve their problem (the number is referred to as “the number you will receive”, or TNYWR). When the second person gets an answer, they pass that number down to the third person. When the third person gets their answer, they write it on an official answer slip and hand it to the official proctor at the proper time.

The second and third people can usually do most of their work before getting a number from the person ahead of them. Nothing may be passed except a number—NO COMMENTS, NO OTHER INFORMATION. You should double underline the answer you pass in case it accidentally gets turned upside down and looks like a different number. You may continue to pass answers, even if they are the same as before. NOTHING MAY BE PASSED in the reverse direction. IF YOU RECEIVE AN ANSWER THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU TO USE, JUST WAIT AND HOPE THAT A DIFFERENT ANSWER WILL GET PASSED TO YOU!

The third person may submit answers only at the 3 minute mark and at the 6 minute mark. If the answer handed in at 3 minutes is correct, and no answer is handed in later, it gets maximum points. If any answer is handed in at 6 minutes, the previous answer is discarded by the proctor (even if the number is the same as before!), and you can only get the lower number of points, provided the answer is correct. OBVIOUSLY THE THIRD PERSON SHOULD NOT HAND IN THE SAME ANSWER A SECOND TIME!

A 15 second warning will be announced before the 3 minute and 6 minute time limits. If you are handing in an answer then, put it on the appropriate answer slip, hold that slip up, and a volunteer will collect it.

Teams will receive full points for a correct solution at the three-minute mark and half points for a correct solution after six minutes.

The Guts Round consists of 18 questions split into 6 groups of 3 questions. Participants will receive 45 minutes to answer these questions in a sequential order. They will begin the round with the first set of questions, and only when they have submitted all previous sets will they receive the next set of questions. Participants will not be able to change their answers to a set once they have submitted it.

Participants can choose to submit each set whenever they would like and must submit via the guts answer sheet. Illegible and/or multiple answers will receive no credit. Leaving a question blank does not yield extra points, nor do wrong answers receive any penalties. All answers should follow the Numerical Answering Guideline.

Each set’s questions will be progressively worth more points and a live scoreboard will be displayed during the round. During the last 5 minutes, the scoreboard will be frozen and results will be announced at the end of the contest. For this year’s contest, this round will not affect overall team rankings. This may change in future years. As in all other rounds of the contest, NO CALCULATORS OR ELECTRONICS ARE ALLOWED.