The Berkeley Math Circle
Welcome to the BMC Archives. This section of the site was created to archive the session handouts and Monthly Contests from the Circle since 1998. To navigate this page, simply select the desired year you wish to view under either Session Handouts or Monthly Contests. The info for that year will be displayed underneath your selection.
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Harry Main-Luu | Beginners I - Tetris Party Championship PDF, PDF |
Online |
| Harry Main-Luu | Beginners II - Tetris Party Championship PDF, PDF |
Evans 1015 |
| Tom Davis | Intermediate I - Conway's Rational Tangles |
Cheit C230 |
| Quan Lam | Intermediate II - Modular Arithmetic, Fermat Little Theorem, Diophantine Equations, Counting |
Cheit C220 |
| Laura Pierson | Advanced - Counting Trees and Parking Cars |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Harry Main-Luu | Beginners I - Tetris Party Championship II PDF, PDF |
Online |
| Harry Main-Luu | Beginners II - Tetris Party Championship II PDF, PDF |
Evans 1015 |
| Erik Herrera | Intermediate I - Mathematical Cake Cutting |
Cheit C230 |
| Quan Lam | Intermediate II - Modular Arithmetic, Fermat Little Theorem, Diophantine Equations, Counting |
Cheit C220 |
| Laura Pierson | Advanced - Counting Trees and Parking Cars |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Harry Main-Luu | Beginners I - Tetris Party Championship III PDF, PDF |
Online |
| Harry Main-Luu | Beginners II - Tetris Party Championship III PDF, PDF |
Evans 1015 |
| Quan Lam | Intermediate I - Modular Arithmetic, Divisibility & Applications, Curious Numbers |
Cheit C230 |
| Erik Herrera | Intermediate II - Mathematical Cake Cutting |
Cheit C220 |
| Daniel Rostamloo | Advanced - Group Theory |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Bernt Wahl | Beginners I - Exploring Fractals |
Online |
| Bernt Wahl | Beginners II - Exploring Fractals |
Evans 1015 |
| Quan Lam | Intermediate I - Modular Arithmetic, Divisibility & Applications, Curious Numbers |
Cheit C230 |
| Sebastian Weinberger | Intermediate II - Bayes' Theorem |
Cheit C220 |
| Daniel Rostamloo | Advanced - Group Theory II |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Cody Strouse | Beginners I - Math Kangaroo! |
Online |
| Cody Strouse | Beginners II - Math Kangaroo! |
Evans 1015 |
| Sarah Firestone | Intermediate I - Trigonometric Ratios PDF, PDF |
Cheit C230 |
| Sebastian Weinberger | Intermediate II - Bayes' Theorem II |
Cheit C220 |
| Milo Moses | Advanced - Finite Fields |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Patricio Angulo | Beginners I - The Math of Chemistry: Building Molecules & Their Geometric Shapes (VSEPR Theory) I |
Online |
| Patricio Angulo | Beginners II - The Math of Chemistry: Building Molecules & Their Geometric Shapes (VSEPR Theory) I |
Evans 1015 |
| Sarah Firestone | Intermediate I - Trigonometry and the Unit Circle |
Cheit C230 |
| Paul Zeitz | Intermediate II - More Number Theory and Counting |
Cheit C220 |
| Kyle Devereaux | Advanced - A Look at Quantum Mechanics PDF, PDF |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Patricio Angulo | Beginners I - The Math of Chemistry: Building Molecules & Their Geometric Shapes (VSEPR Theory) II |
Online |
| Patricio Angulo | Beginners II - The Math of Chemistry: Building Molecules & Their Geometric Shapes (VSEPR Theory) II |
Evans 1015 |
| Sarah Firestone | Intermediate I - Modeling with Trigonometric Functions |
Cheit C230 |
| Paul Zeitz | Intermediate II - More Number Theory and Counting |
Cheit C220 |
| Sebastian Weinberger | Advanced - Bayes' Theorem |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Selena Ding | Beginners I - DNA: Sequence and Topology |
Online |
| Ryan Quan | Beginners II - Morphological Measurements |
Evans 1015 |
| Harry Main-Luu | Intermediate I - Tetris Party Championship PDF, PDF |
Cheit C230 |
| Paul Zeitz | Intermediate II - More Number Theory and Counting |
Cheit C220 |
| Arkady Vaintrob | Advanced - Comparing Infinities |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Selena Ding | Beginners I - DNA: Sequence and Topology |
Online |
| Ryan Quan | Beginners II - Morphological Measurements |
Evans 1015 |
| Harry Main-Luu | Intermediate I - Tetris Party Championship PDF, PDF |
Cheit C230 |
| Paul Zeitz | Intermediate II - More Number Theory and Counting |
Cheit C220 |
| Arkady Vaintrob | Advanced - Comparing Infinities |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Selena Ding | Beginners I - DNA: Sequence and Topology |
Online |
| Ryan Quan | Beginners II - Morphological Measurements |
Evans 1015 |
| Harry Main-Luu | Intermediate I - Tetris Party Championship |
Cheit C230 |
| Roy Zhao | Intermediate II - Invariants and Monovariants |
Cheit C220 |
| Paul Zeitz | Advanced - Gauss Sums |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Harry Main-Luu | Beginners I - Polygon Decompositions I |
Online |
| Sarah Firestone | Beginners II - Quadratics and Area |
Evans 1015 |
| Bernt Wahl | Intermediate I - Exploring Fractals |
Cheit C230 |
| Roy Zhao | Intermediate II - Invariants and Monovariants |
Cheit C220 |
| Paul Zeitz | Advanced - Gauss Sums |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Harry Main-Luu | Beginners I - Polygon Decompositions II |
Online |
| Sarah Firestone | Beginners II - Quadratics and Area |
Evans 1015 |
| Erik Herrera | Intermediate I - Lattice Polygons and Pick's Theorem |
Cheit C230 |
| Intermediate II - None AMC 10/12B in person |
In person | |
| Advanced - None AMC 10/12B in person |
In person |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Harry Main-Luu | Beginners I - Polygon Decompositions III |
Online |
| Harry Main-Luu | Beginners II - Taxicab Geometry I |
Evans 1015 |
| Peter Koroteev | Intermediate I - Partitions III |
Cheit C230 |
| Bernt Wahl | Intermediate II - Exploring Fractals |
Cheit C220 |
| Roy Zhao | Advanced - Hat Problems I PDF, PDF |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Harry Main-Luu | Beginners I - Polygon Decompositions IV |
Online |
| Harry Main-Luu | Beginners II - Taxicab Geometry II |
Evans 1015 |
| Peter Koroteev | Intermediate I - Fractals |
Cheit C230 |
| Erik Herrera | Intermediate II - Lattice Polygons and Pick's Theorem |
Cheit C220 |
| Roy Zhao | Advanced - Hat Problems II |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Hutching | BMC-Upper Colloquium Dec 11, Sunday, 3-4PM Speaker: Professor Michael Hutching Chair of the Mathematics Department UC Berkeley
Title: The mathematics of Rubik's cube Abstract: We will discuss the group theory related to Rubik's cube. By the end of this talk you should be able to solve Rubik's cube, possibly taking a while, but understanding every step. The same ideas can also be used to solve other similar puzzles (larger cubes, other polyhedra, etc.). You are encouraged to bring a cube to experiment with if you have one, and we will also have some cubes available.
|
VLSB 2050 |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Patricio Angulo | Beginners I - Math Kangaroo I: Continued Explorations in The Art of Problem Solving |
Online |
| Beginners II - NO REGULAR SESSIONS AMC8 for Grades 8 and below in Cheit C230 |
Cheit C230 | |
| Intermediate I - NO REGULAR SESSIONS AMC8 for Grades 8 and below in Cheit C230 |
Cheit C230 | |
| Paul Zeitz | Intermediate II - Probability I |
Cheit C220 |
| Laura Pierson | Advanced - Coloring Problems |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Patricio Angulo | Beginners I - Math Kangaroo II: Continued Explorations in The Art of Problem Solving |
Online |
| Patricio Angulo | Beginners II - Math Kangaroo II: Continued Explorations in The Art of Problem Solving |
Evans 1015 |
| Harry Main-Luu | Intermediate I - A Dart Game - from Geometry to Probability |
Cheit C230 |
| Paul Zeitz | Intermediate II - Probability II |
Cheit C220 |
| Laura Pierson | Advanced - Coloring Problems |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Patricio Angulo | Beginners I - The Math of Chemistry: Chemical Reactions & Equilibrium I |
Online |
| Patricio Angulo | Beginners II - The Math of Chemistry: Chemical Reactions & Equilibrium I |
Evans 1015 |
| Harry Main-Luu | Intermediate I - A Dart Game - from Geometry to Probability II |
Cheit C230 |
| Paul Zeitz | Intermediate II - Probability III |
Cheit C220 |
| Arkady Vaintrob | Advanced - Quadratic Irrationalities |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Patricio Angulo | Beginners I - The Math of Chemistry: Chemical Reactions & Equilibrium I |
Online |
| Patricio Angulo | Beginners II - The Math of Chemistry: Chemical Reactions & Equilibrium I |
Evans 1015 |
| Harry Main-Luu | Intermediate I - A Dart Game - from Geometry to Probability III |
Cheit C230 |
| Paul Zeitz | Intermediate II - Probability IV |
Cheit C220 |
| Arkady Vaintrob | Advanced - Quadratic Irrationalities |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Selena Ding | Beginners I - Genetics: Meiosis |
Online |
| Harry Main-Luu | Beginners II - A Dart Game - from Geometry to Probability |
Evans 1015 |
| Zvezda Stankova | Intermediate I - BAMO Prep PDF, PDF, PDF |
Cheit C230 |
| Peter Koroteev | Intermediate II - Partitions |
Cheit C220 |
| Zili Wang | Advanced - How Neural Networks Learn |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Selena Ding | Beginners I - Genetics: Meiosis |
Online |
| Harry Main-Luu | Beginners II - A Dart Game - from Geometry to Probability II |
Evans 1015 |
| Aaron Agulnick | Intermediate I - BAMO Prep II PDF, PDF, PDF |
Cheit C230 |
| Peter Koroteev | Intermediate II - Partitions II |
Cheit C220 |
| Lingfu Zhang | Advanced - A Collection of Problems and BAMO Preparation |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Beginners I - No Regular Sessions Bay Area Math Olympiad Cheit Hall C230 |
See left box | |
| Beginners II - No Regular Sessions Bay Area Math Olympiad Cheit Hall C230 |
See left box | |
| Intermediate I - No Regular Sessions Bay Area Math Olympiad Cheit Hall C230 |
See left box | |
| Intermediate II - No Regular Sessions Bay Area Math Olympiad Cheit Hall C230 |
See left box | |
| Advanced - No Regular Sessions Bay Area Math Olympiad Cheit Hall C230 |
See left box |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Selena Ding | Beginners I - Errors in Heuristics |
Online |
| Harry Main-Luu | Beginners II - A Dart Game - from Geometry to Probability III |
Evans 1015 |
| Ryan Quan | Intermediate I - Morphological Measurements |
Cheit C230 |
| Pratima Karpe | Intermediate II - Isometries in a plane and shortest path |
Cheit C220 |
| Elysee Wilson-Egolf | Advanced - Square Dance |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Roy Zhao | Beginners I - Invariant Games I |
Online |
| Roy Zhao | Beginners II - Invariant Games I |
Evans 1015 |
| Ryan Quan | Intermediate I - Morphological Measurements II |
Cheit C230 |
| Pratima Karpe | Intermediate II - Isometries in a plane and shortest path |
Cheit C220 |
| Elysee Wilson-Egolf | Advanced - Sneaky Segments |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Roy Zhao | Beginners I - Invariant Games II |
Online |
| Roy Zhao | Beginners II - Invariant Games II |
Evans 1015 |
| Alex Saltman | Intermediate I - Geometric Transformations I |
Cheit C230 |
| Aaron Agulnick | Intermediate II - Rings and Unique Factorization |
Cheit C220 |
| Espen Slettnes | Advanced - αχ ≥ |V| |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Ryan Quan | Beginners I - Blood Vessel Math |
Online |
| Zvezda Stankova | Beginners II - BAMO Aftermath |
Evans 1015 |
| Roy Zhao | Intermediate I - Pile Splitting Games I |
Cheit C230 |
| Aaron Agulnick | Intermediate II - Gaussian Integers |
Cheit C220 |
| Daniel Rostamloo | Advanced - Introduction to Algebraic Topology |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Harry Main-Luu | Beginners I - Taxicab Geometry |
Online |
| Harry Main-Luu | Beginners II - A Dart Game Part IV |
Evans 1015 |
| Roy Zhao | Intermediate I - Pile Splitting Games II |
Cheit C230 |
| Cody Strouse | Intermediate II - To Infinity and Beyond! |
Cheit C220 |
| Daniel Rostamloo | Advanced - Introduction to Algebraic Topology |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Elysee Wilson-Egolf | Beginners I - Problems from Smullyan |
Online |
| Zvezda Stankova | Beginners II - BAMO Aftermath |
Evans 1015 |
| Roy Zhao | Intermediate I - Pile Splitting Games III |
Cheit C230 |
| Cody Strouse | Intermediate II - To Infinity and Beyond! II |
Cheit C220 |
| Harry Main-Luu | Advanced - Breaking Math at Infinity - Axiom Systems and Paradoxes |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Elysee Wilson-Egolf | Beginners I - Problems from Smullyan II |
Online |
| Zvezda Stankova | Beginners II - BAMO Aftermath |
Evans 1015 |
| Harry Main-Luu | Intermediate I - A Dart Game - from Geometry to Probability |
Cheit C230 |
| Chris Overton | Intermediate II - Flexagons (and their transition graphs) |
Cheit C220 |
| Paul Zeitz | Advanced - Lattice points and number theory |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Elysee Wilson-Egolf | Beginners I - Problems from Smullyan III |
Online |
| Sarah Firestone | Beginners II - Information and Number Systems PDF, PDF |
Evans 1015 |
| Harry Main-Luu | Intermediate I - A Dart Game - from Geometry to Probability |
Cheit C230 |
| Chris Overton | Intermediate II - Flexagons (and their transition graphs) |
Cheit C220 |
| Paul Zeitz | Advanced - Lattice points and number theory |
Online |
| Instructor | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Espen Slettnes | BMC-Upper Colloquium
Title: Magical Proofs
Abstract: Through gaining experience in math research and olympiads, one develops a sense for how to generally approach different types of problems, building a repertoire of problem-solving tricks and techniques that can be used to tackle them. Then there are *those* problems — the ones that defy the rules of composition that most other problems are subject to, whose solutions seem to stretch the limits of what’s possible. This talk is a tribute to these magical problems, demonstrating how these seemingly impossible puzzles can transform into feats of ingenuity.
Speaker Bio: Espen Slettnes joined the Berkeley Math Circle in Spring 2012, where in more recent years, he has served as an instructor for the Advanced Group and as a grader, problem writer, and coordinator for the proof-based monthly contests. He earned a gold award at the 2022 USA Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO) and attended the national Mathematical Olympiad Program (MOP) twice. Espen is a published math researcher who began his research journey in 6th grade; the following year he started interning at the MIT PRIMES-USA research program for several years, completing various individual and group projects in combinatorics. He received the Spirit of Ramanujan Fellowship thrice in 2018, 2019, and 2020. His work has been recognized by the Broadcom MASTERS national science fair, the Shing-Tung Yau High School Science Award, Davidson Fellows, the MAA Outstanding Presentation Award at the Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM), etc. In recognition of his achievements, minor planet 34379, discovered by MIT Lincoln Laboratory in 2000, was named “Slettnes" in his honor. |
Dwinelle 155 |