FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEARLY 600 AREA STUDENTS TO COMPETE IN MATH FIELD DAY

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., April 5, 2002 - Nearly 600 students from 29 area junior and senior high schools will compete in the Annual Math Field Day April 9 at Southeast Missouri State University.

Southeast's Department of Mathematics and the Southeast Missouri Council of Teachers of Mathematics sponsor the 25th Annual Field Day. The day's events begin at 9 a.m. and conclude with an awards ceremony at 2 p.m.

Students will have the opportunity to compete in both individual and team events and a problem-solving event called "Mathletics."

Mathletics is a fast-paced event in which teams of four students work simultaneously on problems for periods of 15 seconds to two minutes. The students compete in teams to see who can score the most points for correct answers.

Other individual and team events will challenge students in the areas of algebra I, algebra II, geometry, trigonometry, word problems, history of mathematics, sets and logic, exponential and log functions, matrices and determinants, computational mathematics, elementary data analysis, probability, mental arithmetic, analytical geometry, number bases, number theory, hand calculators and calculus.

Schools registered to participate are: Arcadia Valley, Bell City, Bunker, Campbell, Century High School, East Carter County, Leopold, Malden, Marquand-Zion, Meadow Heights, North Pemiscot, Oak Ridge, Puxico, Saxony Lutheran, South Pemiscot, Southern Reynolds County, Steelville, Cape Central Junior and Senior High Schools, DeSoto, Dexter, Doniphan, Farmington, Fredricktown, North St. Francois County, Notre Dame, Central High School and Sikeston Junior and Senior High Schools. In addition, Sean Walker from Ellsinore, Mo., will participate as a home schooled student.

For more information about Math Field Day, contact Dr. Jim Bruening, associate professor for the Department of Mathematics, at (573) 651-2766.