For LionJim

[ApexLion]

@LionJim

So I discovered a new term today. Mathletes.

Yesterday, they announced the four winners of the Fields Medal, the highest award for mathematicians under 40, also called the Nobel for Mathletes.

Announcement

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/science/fields-medals-pardon-deng-wang-tsimerman.html

Reading about their work is fascinating (ya had me at Kayeka Conjecture), although I have to admit, I have no clue what they are doing (ya lost me at fluid dynamics).

 

[Bison13]

Derivative, integral, f(x), were the geeks from PHS.
Secant, tangent, pi r squared, you better run we know you’re scared

Our mathlete team cheer.

 

[LionJim]

@LionJim

So I discovered a new term today. Mathletes.

Yesterday, they announced the four winners of the Fields Medal, the highest award for mathematicians under 40, also called the Nobel for Mathletes.

Announcement

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/science/fields-medals-pardon-deng-wang-tsimerman.html

Reading about their work is fascinating (ya had me at Kayeka Conjecture), although I have to admit, I have no clue what they are doing (ya lost me at fluid dynamics).

Thanks for taking the time.

Yeah, very impressive. The four are from the universities of Chicago, Stony Brook, Toronto, and NYU. I know the most about John Pardon, he gets his doctorate from Stanford at age 26 and the next year is a full professor at Princeton.

These people are akin to Parade High School All-Americas, All-B1G as a sophomore, a first round NFL draft pick, multiple year All-Pros, guaranteed Hall of Fame. Me, I’m a walk on who becomes a starter in his fifth year because three players in front of me on the depth chart got mono.

 

[BobPSU92]

Thanks for taking the time.

Yeah, very impressive. The four are from the universities of Chicago, Stony Brook, Toronto, and NYU. I know the most about John Pardon, he gets his doctorate from Stanford at age 26 and the next year is a full professor at Princeton.

These people are akin to Parade High School All-Americas, All-B1G as a sophomore, a first round NFL draft pick, multiple year All-Pros, guaranteed Hall of Fame. Me, I’m a walk on who becomes a starter in his fifth year because three players in front of me on the depth chart got mono.

I‘m the guy who picks up the dirty jockstraps.

 

[LionJim]

I‘m the guy who picks up the dirty jockstraps.

You should keep your head up, keep working, and be ready to move up in case I get mono.

 

[LionJim]

This reminds me that in September Jean-Pierre Serre will turn 100. The youngest Fields Medal winner, was 27 when he got it, in 1954.

 

[SleepyLion]

Thanks for taking the time.

Yeah, very impressive. The four are from the universities of Chicago, Stony Brook, Toronto, and NYU. I know the most about John Pardon, he gets his doctorate from Stanford at age 26 and the next year is a full professor at Princeton.

These people are akin to Parade High School All-Americas, All-B1G as a sophomore, a first round NFL draft pick, multiple year All-Pros, guaranteed Hall of Fame. Me, I’m a walk on who becomes a starter in his fifth year because three players in front of me on the depth chart got mono.

The most important ability is availability.

If you need anyone to hold down the couch, I'm your man.

 

[s1uggo72]

I‘m the guy who picks up the dirty jockstraps.

and liked it

 

[OhioLion]

I‘m the guy who picks up the dirty jockstraps.

I sharpen the pencils. And, they use mechanical pencils so I’m useless.

 

[LionJim]

I was going to post a picture of my pencil, couldn’t get it to work, shucks. It’s a beautiful instrument.

 

[BobPSU92]

This reminds me that in September Jean-Pierre Serre will turn 100. The youngest Fields Medal winner, was 27 when he got it, in 1954.

Easier back then. They had far fewer numbers to work with in 1954.

 

[SleepyLion]

I was going to post a picture of my pencil, couldn’t get it to work, shucks. It’s a beautiful instrument.

 

[Nitt1300]

 

[IrishHerb]

I was going to post a picture of my pencil, couldn’t get it to work, shucks. It’s a beautiful instrument.

My writing instruments for doing math.

 

[ApexLion]

Easier back then. They had far fewer numbers to work with in 1954.

abaci (plural for abacus)

 

[BobPSU92]

abaci (plural for abacus)

Abacusessessessess

 

[ApexLion]

I sharpen the pencils. And, they use mechanical pencils so I’m useless.

I'm the guy who raises his hand and says 'you told us no math on this test'.

 

[LionJim]

Truth: Every time I arrived at my advisor’s office, I would tell myself, “Now, Jim, don’t be afraid of sounding like an idiot.” And then I’d knock.

 

[step.eng69]

@LionJim

So I discovered a new term today. Mathletes.

Reading about their work is fascinating (ya had me at Kayeka Conjecture), although I have to admit, I have no clue what they are doing (ya lost me at fluid dynamics).

ApexLion, The 'TERM' has been around for a while

Formal adoption
"The MATHCOUNTS Competition Series, founded in 1983, officially designated its middle school participants as “Mathletes” in 2003, registering the term as a trademark of the MATHCOUNTS Foundation. This formalized the term in competitive math culture and expanded its use to other programs such as the American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) and Math League contests"

I was involved with the Northeast PA MATHCOUNTS competition for more than two decades with my alliance in the NSPE & PSPE. My participation stopped about 6-years ago due to physical arthritic issues.

Typically, when I was involved, 15 to 20 schools participated in the event at the Wyoming Valley West Middle School auditorium in Kingston. Sadly, I noticed in 2023 only 7-schools attended the competition, I guess the interest in math and the sciences has dropped off the table.

I listed below the four MATHCOUNT rounds, 'READ' the instructions to each round to get an appreciation of the speed the math problems are to be resolved. The problems and solutions are also listed.

Chapter (2025-2026)​

Sprint Round
Target Round
Team Round
Countdown Round
Answer Key
Solutions

Thanks for taking the time.

The Countdown Round is the final and most intense round in the MATHCOUNTS competition series, designed to test speed, accuracy, and mental math skills under pressure.

Purpose and Format
The Countdown Round is an optional round at the school, chapter, and state levels, and is required at the national level MATHCOUNTS Foundation. It serves as a tiebreaker when scores are close, or as a standalone challenge for top competitors.

At the school and chapter levels, it is typically 45 seconds per problem without a calculator MATHCOUNTS Foundation. At the state and national levels, the time limit is often 1 minute per problem Art of Problem Solving. The problems are selected from the Sprint and Target Rounds, and the format is head-to-head — two competitors answer in sequence until one gets a correct answer.

How it Works
Competitors are ranked from the Sprint/Target Round results.

• The top few (often 10–20) advance to the Countdown Round.
• The moderator calls out a problem, and the first correct answer wins the point.
• The round continues until a predetermined number of problems are answered (often 8–10 at the national level) MATHCOUNTS Foundation.
• The competitor with the most points wins the Countdown Round, which can determine the overall champion if scores are tied.

 

[Erial_Lion]

As I've said before, @LionJim is a Mathematician. I just have a degree in Math.

 

[Binder74]

As I've said before, is a Mathematician. I just have a degree in Math.

I have an AS in math but I no longer do proofs. I'm ok with assumptions.

 

[BobPSU92]

I have an AS in math but I no longer do proofs. I'm ok with assumptions.

c x c = c^2

It follows that E = mc^2 .