From: Rusin, David <rusin@math.utexas.edu>
Subject: Putnam Competition practices begin
Date: 09/17/2018 11:51 AM

Faculty,

Please announce in your undergraduate classes:

    It's time to sign up for the Putnam competition!

    The Putnam is a nationwide mathematics competition open to all
    undergraduates. You can win a graduate fellowship to Harvard
    University! The questions are very fun -- but very challenging.
    Here is one of the questions from last year's exam:

    "Suppose  f = sum c_i x^i  is a power series for which
     every coefficient  c_i  is either 0 or 1. Show that
     if  f( 2/3 ) = 3/2  then  f( 1/2 )  is irrational . "

    We will have practice sessions for the Putnam exam every Thursday
    this semester, 5pm - 7pm in RLM 9.166, starting on September 20
    (this Thursday). Pizza will be served to provide extra
    problem-solving power.

    The contest itself will be December 1. Students are encouraged to
    register at the first meeting or by contacting Dave Rusin (RLM 9.140)
    for more information.

In recent years the UT team has consistently scored well --- last year we
placed 24th nationally. We can do well again this year if you encourage
your best students to participate. Thank you for your help.

Dave Rusin