Schoolwide News
This year, EAB 4th through 8th graders embarked on a journey with the Math Olympiad for Elementary and Middle School Students (MOEMS), a prestigious competition with over 120,000 participants from 40 countries. Each month, students dedicate 30 minutes to solving five challenging questions designed to stretch their mathematical reasoning and problem-solving skills.
So far, we have completed three out of five contests. While our scores remain modest—with an average of just under one correct answer per contest—I am incredibly proud of our participants. Here’s why.
In school, math is often taught systematically, which is effective for learning concepts but provides limited opportunities for true problem-solving. Typically, students apply familiar strategies to solve problems, but MOEMS presents a different challenge. They don’t receive context clues to guide their approach, and many problems require combining multiple areas of mathematics to reach a solution.
Consider this problem from the January 2025 competition:
"Sarah's mystery 4-digit number has consecutive digits in strictly increasing order from left to right. It is also a prime. What is her number?"
Solving this problem requires an understanding of key terms like "4-digit number," "consecutive," and "prime." Even with that knowledge, determining whether a four-digit number is prime can be daunting, involving division checks by all prime numbers less than its square root.
Breaking it down:
The best approach is to list all four-digit numbers with strictly consecutive ascending digits and then identify which are prime:
- 1234 (even, therefore, not prime)
- 2345 (a multiple of 5)
- 3456 (even)
- 4567
- 5678 (even)
- 6789 (a multiple of 3)
Since all other numbers are composite, 4567 is the correct answer.
The Power of Problem-Solving
Tackling problems like these builds problem-solving skills much like gradual progress in sports. Even when students don’t reach a complete solution, every attempt strengthens their confidence and analytical thinking.
MOEMS participants are developing resilience and perseverance in mathematical problem-solving, but it can be tough to face repeated setbacks without immediate success. These competitions sharpen logical reasoning and critical thinking, preparing students for future academic challenges—even when the results aren’t immediately visible.
This is why I’m so proud of our students. Every month, they push themselves further, tackling increasingly complex problems. Full solutions may still be difficult to achieve, but their persistence and courage to take on new challenges show remarkable grit. Let’s continue to support them on their mathematical journey!