Math Day at the Beach

In Memory of Dr. Kent Merryfield

Math Day at the Beach is a problem-solving festival for Southern California high school students who want to have fun with mathematics and enjoy a day of camaraderie with university mathematics students and professors.

Congratulations to the 2023 Winners!

On March 11, 2023, the 22nd event was hosted on the CSULB campus. A total of 32 teams of six students each participated in this event, 6 in Division A and the others in Division B.

Read more about the Math Day at the Beach 2023.

Invitation to 2024

An invitation to participate in the 2024 event will go out to schools in October of 2023. If your school is interested in trying its hand at tackling those math problems, email Dr. Olga Korosteleva at Olga.Korosteleva@csulb.edu to request practice tests.

Division A schools for 2024 (in alphabetical order):

  • Arcadia High School
  • Beckman High School
  • North Hollywood High School
  • Oxford Academy
  • Palos Verdes High School
  • San Marino High School
  • Sierra Canyon School
  • University High School

About the Event

High schools of Southern California are invited to bring a team of six students. All students and faculty are treated to lunch. Competition will be among the high school teams as well as individuals. Prizes and trophies will be awarded to the winning teams and individual winning students.

The centerpiece of the event is a one-hour, 20-25 question exam in high school level mathematics, designed by our Mathematics and Statistics Department faculty, emphasizing creative thinking rather than computational skill. Questions will be selected from algebra, geometry, trigonometry, number theory, combinatorics, and probability and statistics.

In addition to the individual multiple choice exam, there will be a team round, whereby all members work on a set of problems in a given amount of time, and a final "Kenneth E. Lindgren Face-Off" round to determine the individual winners. In the Kenneth E. Lindgren Face-Off round, top-scoring individuals will represent their team in an oral format.

Parents of students are invited to enjoy the day with their children.

History

This annual event started in 2002 by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics under the directorship of Dr. Kent Merryfield, a charismatic leader with unparalleled expertise in high-school math competitions, and ran uninterrupted until Dr. Merryfield's untimely death in November of 2018.

In March of 2019, the 20th Math Day at the Beach took place under the new directorship by Dr. Olga Korosteleva. Then the pandemic placed this event on hold for two years.