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Count Down: Six Kids Vie for Glory at the World's Toughest Math Competition | 
 enlarge | Author: Steve Olson
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Category: Book
List Price: $24.00
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Rating:  23 reviews
Sales Rank: 233862
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 256
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.6 x 1
ISBN: 0618251413
Dewey Decimal Number: 510.79
EAN: 9780618251414
Publication Date: April 2, 2004
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Product Description
Each summer six math whizzes selected from nearly a half-million American teens compete against the world's best problem solvers at the International Mathematical Olympiad. Steve Olson followed the six 2001 contestants from the intense tryouts to the Olympiad's nail-biting final rounds to discover not only what drives these extraordinary kids but what makes them both unique and typical. In the process he provides fascinating insights into the science of intelligence and learning and, finally, the nature of genius.
Brilliant, but defying all the math-nerd stereotypes, these teens want to excel in whatever piques their curiosity, and they are curious about almost everything ? music, games, politics, sports, literature. One team member is ardent about both water polo and creative writing. Another plays four musical instruments. For fun and entertainment during breaks, the Olympians invent games of mind-boggling difficulty. Though driven by the glory of winning this ultimate math contest, they are in many ways not so different from other teenagers, finding pure joy in indulging their personal passions.
Beyond the the Olympiad, Olson sheds light on many questions, from why Americans feel so queasy about math, to why so few girls compete in the subject, to whether or not talent is innate. Inside the cavernous gym where the competition takes place, Count Down uncovers a fascinating subculture and its engaging, driven inhabitants.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 18 more reviews...
 presentation of mathematics as a creative and exciting endeavor June 24, 2008
Patrick Regan (Northampton, MA USA)
Countdown presents the competitive world of the Mathematical Olympiad in a manner that shows well the incredible mathematical aptitude of the contestants. At the same time, the author takes pains to present the budding mathematicians as well rounded individuals who are not at all like the stereotypical geek. The author argues that mathematics at the level of the Mathematical Olympiad is more of a creative endeavor than a rigid formula based effort. Although mostly about the contestants themselves, the author also presents biographies of some of the coaches, considering, especially, their approach to teaching, which seems to involve short presentations of theory followed by long problem solving sessions. This is a really good book to give to someone who is interested in mathematics.
Competitive math September 15, 2007
mrliteral
A few years ago, the movie Spellbound gave viewers insight into the world of spelling bees, culminating in the National championship. Since then, I've noticed other competitions getting similar treatments, such as bowling (in The League of Ordinary Gentlemen) and crossword puzzles (Word Play). Although it is a book and not a movie, Steve Olson's Count Down fits right into this genre of the competition documentary.
Count Down deals with the International Mathematical Olympiad, in which high school level students from around the world gather together to solve difficult math problems. How difficult? The first problem they are given reads: "In acute triangle ABC with circumcenter O and altitude AP, angle C is greater than or equal to angle B plus 30 degrees. Prove that angle A plus angle COP is less than 90 degrees." This is the easiest of the six questions the Math Olympians must solve.
Perhaps coincidentally, there also six members in the U.S. team, so Olson dedicates one chapter to each member and his approach to a problem (it is an all male team). It is like going from Los Angeles to New York by car: there are a number of different routes, each with its pluses and minuses. Similarly, these math problems can be solved a number of different ways.
Olson goes beyond the Olympiad itself, however, using it as a launching pad for discussions on topics regarding math education. One key theme that runs through Count Down is how Americans look down on math, often treating those who are good at it with scorns and letting people think that being bad at math is okay. This is contrasted with other countries where math is considered much more valuable. The problem is not merely with the education system but the culture itself.
Other topics include the nature of genius and the effects of environment versus genetics. Are boys naturally better than girls at math (which is to say, more genetically inclined), or is it cultural issues that creates a disparity between the genders? (As Olson notes, in the decades of American participation in the Olympiad, boys have outnumbered girls 118 to 1.) Is it even possible to truly separate the two? Can the abilities that these teenagers have be taught to others?
Olson keeps the math rather simple so even the mathematical layperson should be able to understand all that's going on. If you enjoy math, this is a recommended read. If you don't enjoy math, this is a must read: it will help show why mathematical skill is not merely nice but is essential.
 Mathematically Talentless Author July 10, 2007
Rufuss Muggworrt
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
a shambles ,with a mathematically talentless author totally out of his league. Exemplified by the following two poetically-challenged sentences ,appearing on page 153 ,describing Monta Vista High School in Cupertino California USA: " The school, which occupies a ramshackle collection of low-rise wood-frame buildings, nestles up against the soft burr of the coastal range. It faces east, toward the rising sun and the milky haze that often overlies San Francisco Bay." So we learn that the sun rises in the east... For an example of the mathematical ineptitude scattered throughout this wreck of a book, the author neglects to state that in Jensen's Inequality, the coefficents "r" ,"s" and "t" must add to 1. Suitable for the fireplace.
 Too much filler May 19, 2007
Librum (CA, USA)
CD is two books in one, one interesting, the other pedestrian. The interesting book includes: profiles of participants in the 2001 IMO + some description of the IMO itself + partial solutions of the IMO problems. The pedestrian book includes: lengthy digressions on the topic of genius/talent. CD weaves back and forth between both books. The result: a greatly short-changed book one. Profiles could have been much longer/deeper; the event could have been described in greater and more interesting detail; solutions (relegated to Appendices) could have been complete. The contents of book two read like an extended (fragmentary) book report. The topic of genius/talent has been ably treated elsewhere in the literature. All of book two, considerably compressed, would far better have served to introduce a much expanded book one.
CD reads well enough; it does provide a couple hours' entertainment. It could have been so much more.
Good overview of competitive mathematics (and mathematics in general) July 6, 2006
K. Scott Proctor (Wilmington, DE USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"Count Down" is a well-written and concise profile of the International Mathematical Olympiad and, more broadly, the field of mathematics. While the book offers an engaging overview of the Olympiad, its real strength is in its coverage of the individuals underlying the contest.
Steve Olson provides readers with an insightful and unique perspective on what type of person and abilities it takes to become a part of a Mathematical Olympiad team. Moreover, the book challenges the reader with facts and anecdotes related to the roles "nature" and "nurture" play in the evolution of traits such as creativity.
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