2009 Mathematical Contest in Modeling
Press Release—April 3, 2009
COMAP is pleased to announce the results of the 25th annual
Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM). This year, 1675 teams
representing institutions from fourteen countries participated in the
contest. Nine teams from the following eight institutions were
designated as OUTSTANDING WINNERS:
Clarkson University,
Potsdam, NY
Cornell University,
Ithaca, NY
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA
Southwestern University,
Georgetown, TX
The College of Idaho, Caldwell, ID
Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
University of Delaware, Newark, DE
This year’s contest ran from Thursday, February 5 to Monday,
February 9, 2009. During that time, teams of up to three
undergraduate or high school students researched, modeled, and
submitted a solution to one of two modeling problems. The 2009
MCM was primarily an online contest. Teams registered, obtained
contest materials, and downloaded the problem and data at the
prescribed time through COMAP’s MCM Website.
This year the two MCM problems represented significant
challenges. The author of Problem A, Danny Solow of Case
Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH was also one of the
final judges. His problem, “Designing a Traffic Circle,” noted that
many cities have traffic circles, from large ones with many lanes in
the circle (such as at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and the Victory
Monument in Bangkok) to small ones with one or two lanes in the
circle. Some of these traffic circles have a stop sign or a yield sign
on every incoming road that gives priority to traffic already in the
circle; some have a yield sign in the circle at each incoming road
that gives priority to incoming traffic; and some have a traffic light
on each incoming road (with no right turn allowed on a red light).
The goal of the problem is to use a model to determine how best to
control traffic flow in, around, and out of a circle, clearly stating the
objective(s) used in the model and summarizing the conditions
under which each type of traffic-control method should be used.
The Problem B, “Energy and the Cell Phone” was written by Joe
Malkevitch of York College in Jamaica, NY. This question involves
the “energy” consequences of the cell phone revolution. Cell phone
usage is mushrooming and many people are using cell phones and
giving up their landlines. What is the consequence of this in terms
of electricity use? Every cell phone comes with a battery and a
recharger. The analysis should take into account the need for
charging the batteries of the cell phones as well as the fact that cell
phones last much less time (they get lost and break) than phones for
landlines. Students were also asked to consider a second “Pseudo
US,” a country of about 300 million people with about the same
economic status as the current US. However, this emerging country
has neither landlines nor cell phones. What is the optimal way of
providing phone service to this country from an energy perspective?
Finally, consider population and economic growth over the next 50
years. How will a typical Pseudo US grow? How many Pseudo
USs will emerge as countries prosper economically? Each 10 years
for the next 50 years, predict the energy needs for providing phone
service based upon your previous analysis. Assume all countries
provide electricity from oil. Interpret your predictions in term of
barrels of oil.
The nine Outstanding solution papers will be published in The
UMAP Journal, along with commentary from the authors and other
judges. All 1675 of the competing teams are to be congratulated for
their excellent work and enthusiasm for mathematical modeling and
interdisciplinary problem solving.
2009 MCM Statistics
• 1675 teams participated
• 7 high school teams (1%)
• 350 US Teams (21%)
• 1325 Foreign Teams (79%) from Australia, Canada, China,
Finland, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Mexico,
Singapore, South Africa, United Kingdom
• 9 Outstanding Winners (1%)
• 294 Meritorious Winners (18%)
• 298 Honorable Mentions (18%)
• 1074 Successful Participants (63%)
To obtain additional information about the MCM and to obtain a complete listing of all team designations, please visit the MCM Website at: www.mcmcontest.com, or
contact COMAP at: mcm@comap.com.
Major funding for the MCM is provided by COMAP. Additional support is provided by the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences
(INFORMS), Two Sigma Investments and Jane Street Capital. COMAP's Mathematical Contest in Modeling and Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling are unique
among modeling competitions in that they are the only international contests in which students work in teams to find a solution. Centering its educational philosophy on
mathematical modeling, COMAP uses mathematical tools to explore real-world problems. It serves the educational community as well as the world of work by
preparing students to become better informed—and prepared—citizens, consumers, and workers.
Contest Director
Frank Giordano, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA
Executive Director
Solomon A. Garfunkel, COMAP, Inc., Bedford, MA
Founding Director
Ben Fusaro, Florida State University
Associate Directors
William Fox, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA
Pat Driscoll, United States Military Academy, NY
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