Elkins Problem Solving

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Since Elkins might start doing Mandelbrot next year, and in order to increase our qualifiers for the AIME exams,
next year, I might start teaching problem solving out of my book First Steps for Math Olympians at Math Club every Monday.
Since I will be teaching out of a book, it shouldn't really matter who teaches as long as we can explain the method used to reach the answers.
I plan to explain the theorems + results in each chapter, then work through examples, and finally give the ten problems relating to the subject, which I will have copied from the book, as homework. If there are any questions, they could ask me the next Monday when we go over the answers to the homework assignment.

Chapters in First Steps for Math Olympians:
1.Aritmetic ratios
2.Polynomials and their Zeros
3.Exponentials and Radicals
4.Defined Functions and operations
5.Triangle geometry
6.Circle geometry
7.Polygons
8.Counting
9.Probability
10.Prime decomposition
11.Number Theory
12.Sequences and Series
13.Statistics
14.Trigonometry
15. Three-Dimansional Geometry
16.Functions
17.Logarithms
18.Complex Numbers

Again, we will cover one chapter every Monday and assign ten questions as homework. Keep in mind that each chapter is pretty much ony an "intro" to the subject.

I still need to ask both Mrs. Ward and the future President what they think.
Any Feedback/ideas?

I have this book, i think it is very pro and can help people improve problem solving skills in a short time. You seem to have a good idea and, in my opinion, will be effective.

Ani, this idea of yours still remains untouched. Maybe you should bring this up at the next meeting.

Kind of obsolete now...
Nice idea while it lasted though...

I'm kind of interested in what this could bring to the club. Maybe if we give one to all new members? (Lend of course, we'll be expecting them back)

Alex Tatge wrote:I'm kind of interested in what this could bring to the club. Maybe if we give one to all new members? (Lend of course, we'll be expecting them back)

Not sure if the club budget would be able to handle lending out that many books. Maybe be a bit more discriminating in choice of lenders? But that might raise a few problems in itself...

Lol, I'm sure we can photocopy,
if any copyright claims are raised, we can trash the copies =)

Ani wrote:Lol, I'm sure we can photocopy,
if any copyright claims are raised, we can trash the copies =)

Depending on how large the book is, you'll still run into problem copying it, school copy limits and all that. And assuming it's an actual book, copying/scanning the thing results in spine damage. Plus the legality thing.

Yea