Calling all math nerds! TAMa na!
Are you a bright-eyed JHS student at the start of your math journey? Or a hardcore math veteran in SHS looking for a challenge? NOI.PH invites all math enthusiasts to flex their math muscles in TAMa 2024!
What is TAMa?
TAMa—which stands for Tool-Assisted Mathematics—is an online math competition with a twist: You’re going to need the full might of a computer in order to answer these problems!
“Although mathematics will help you arrive at elegant and efficient methods, the use of a computer and programming skills will be required to solve most problems,” to quote this contest’s inspiration, the website Project Euler.
What kind of math should I expect?
TAMa focuses mostly on topics that appear in math olympiads, with a particular emphasis on combinatorics and number theory. TAMa puts a great focus on exploratory problem solving—we hope for this to be an educational experience where people feel encouraged to investigate and research brand new topics.
Even still, the contest is designed so that everyone will have something that they can do, regardless of where they are in their math or programming journey. As long as you’re interested, everyone is invited!
You can check out some practice problems for a concrete idea of what kinds of tasks to expect from TAMa.
I like math, but I don’t know any programming!
Not to worry! NOI.PH has an entire crash-course introduction to Python available here, which contains all the information you need to get started with programming! TAMa is all about interesting math puzzles combined with foundational skills in programming and computer science, so these tutorials will bring you up to speed on what you need to know in order to participate.
Also, the contest is long format and open-reference, so you don’t need to stress about needing to memorize the syntax!
Do I need to use Python?
Nope! In TAMa, the only objective is to arrive at the final answer by any means necessary, so you can use any programming language you like. You can even try solving using pen and paper, if you want!
When is TAMa 2024?
TAMa 2024 will run online from October 26, 2024, 9:00 AM until November 4, 2024, 6:00 PM.
The long contest format means you’ll have ample time to solve and research at your own leisure over the course of these ~10 days.
So soon! And you’re saying I have to code for ten straight days???
Not at all! The contest only runs this long so that you aren’t feeling the time pressure, and can focus on the fun feeling of solving mathematics! Let the problems marinate in your head while traveling to school, or while you lie in bed at night.
If you have something important to do during the week—don’t worry. Do what needs to be done, and TAMa will be waiting for you when you get back!
How much does it cost to join?
It’s free, Bruce Lee! Participation in these contests is FREE and open to anyone interested in mathematics, computer science, and programming.
Are there prizes?
Yes! The top 3 Filipino high school students will receive limited-edition NOI.PH prizes.
Furthermore, anyone who reaches certain point thresholds in the contest can request an official e-certificate from NOI.PH to commemorate their achievement. There will be 10 problems that are worth 200 points each (but with partial points available). The thresholds for certificates are:
- Certificate of Competence – 500 points
- Certificate of Proficiency – 1000 points
- Certificate of Excellence – 1500 points
- Certificate of Mastery – 1800 points
- Certificate of ??? – 2000 points (name will only be revealed if someone achieves 2000 points)
Qualifying for any certificate is a worthy achievement, and we would like you to be able to be officially recognized!
Note that these prizes are only redeemable by Filipino high school students. Everyone else is still free to join the contest itself, for the learning experience!
How do I join? How do I register?
- Register at https://bit.ly/TAMa2024Reg
- At a later date, closer to the start of the competition, an email will be sent to the email address you registered with. It will contain the details of how to access and log in to our contest management system.
- A reminder will be posted in our NOI.PH Discord server (linked below) when this email is sent out. Join in if you don’t want to miss out on that, or any other announcements!
I need to practice!
First, for TAMa specifically, you can check out our practice problems (also linked above).
You can check out Project Euler for more mathematical programming problems in TAMa’s format—in fact, Project Euler served as the inspiration for this contest!
Although it may not have the same format as Project Euler and TAMa, you can also check out websites like Codeforces and AtCoder for problems in competitive programming. Although not all problems are as explicitly about math, the field of competitive programming still contains tons of problems in the same vein, in terms of needing smart insights in order to be solved.
In particular, we recommend you try out the Abakoda 2021 and Abakoda 2022 long contests. Abakoda is an initiative by NOI.PH to gently introduce high school students to competitive programming, so it’s perfect for beginners. But be warned—just because it’s for beginners doesn’t mean it’ll all be easy!
Is there a competitive programming community for Filipino HS students?
If you are a Filipino high school student, you can join the NOI.PH Discord server by registering here with your name, grade level, and school. You can ask for help when you don’t understand something, or you can also just make friends with high school students all over the country, who just like you are learning and practicing programming.