International Mathematical Talent Search (IMTS)

The International Mathematical Talent Search (IMTS) is a competitive year-round correspondence program in creative mathematical problem solving at the secondary school level. It is open to all students in every country at no cost. The program parallels the USA Mathematical Talent Search (USAMTS), which was founded in 1989. The IMTS is featured as a regular column in Mathematics and Informatics Quarterly (M&IQ), which was initiated in 1991.

There are four rounds of five problems in each year of the IMTS. The rounds are numbered consecutively, and hence each participating country can specify the appropriate rounds for its academic year. Ideally, students are expected to submit solutions in the designated four rounds corresponding to their school year, and accumulate points accordingly. Thereby, with 5 points per problem, they can accumulate 100 points per year.

The solutions should be submitted to the appropriate member of the International Panel of Judges. In case their country in not represented, we hereby request the submission of solutions to the coordinator of the program, Dr. George Berzsenyi, whose address is

Dr. George Berzsenyi, IMTS Coordinator
13226 Piute Trail
Pine, CO 80470-9557 USA
e-mail: GBerzsenyi@aol.com

Each submission should have a cover sheet identifying the student, his/her grade level, home address, country, and the school he/she attends. The solutions should be complete, well-written, and -- if sent (via air mail) to the above address -- in English. Submission criteria in the participating countries will be determined and publicized by the appropriate members of the International Panel of Judges.

This program was initiated in 1989 by Professor George Berzsenyi and his colleagues in the Department of Mathematics at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (RHIT) under the auspices of the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications (COMAP) via a regular column in COMAP's Consortium. The program has been supported by RHIT, COMAP, and by grants awarded by the Exxon Education Foundation, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and by the National Security Agency (NSA). The program was transferred to NSA and COMAP in 1997, and it is presently directed by Dr. Gene Berg, the Mathematics Advisor to the Chief Scientist of the NSA.

In addition to being regularly featured in Consortium, the USAMTS also has a web site at the NSA, whose URL is

In addition to the problems (which are numbered differently, but identical to those of the IMTS), the above web site also includes solutions to the problems, as well as a detailed description of the program's aims, history, and highlights. Moreover, the USAMTS Newsletter, which is published (and circulated among the USAMTS participants) at the end of each round, is also posted on this web site.

In addition to featuring the problems and solutions to the problems of the IMTS (edited by Professor Berzsenyi), this international publication contains a variety of lively problem sections and interesting articles appropriate for outstanding students at the secondary level. For subscription information and for guidelines for prospective authors, please see the following web site of the International Olympiads in Informatics, maintained by Professor Tom Verhoeff of The Netherlands:

The four issues of Volume 9 of M&IQ, to be published in 1999, will feature the problems of Rounds 32-35, and the solutions of Rounds 29-32, respectively. Round 29 was the equivalent of Round 1 / Year 10 of the USAMTS.

Students wishing to submit solutions to the problems of the IMTS, should first check the following list for a judge representing their country. If they find such a representative, they should submit their solutions to that person in accordance with the guidelines specified by him/her. If their country is not represented, they should send their solutions to the IMTS Coordinator, whose address is given in the Program Description above.

Participants of the IMTS should be aware that the following list of judges is still evolving, and hence it is subject to frequent changes. We also wish to emphasize that at no time will there be any comparisons of the results or of the level of participation in different countries. The main purpose of the IMTS is to promote creative mathematical problem solving as an intellectual endeavor among students of similar interest, and to give them an opportunity to formulate their solutions in English, which is fast becoming the accepted language of mathematics.

Mathematicians in other countries who are interested in joining our efforts on the IMTS Panel of Judges may wish to contact Professor George Berzsenyi by e-mail (GBerzsenyi@aol.com) or at the address given below.

   

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