UMass Amherst Summer Pre-College: Math Puzzles for Computer Science Recently Updated

If you like puzzles, popular science and math, or crosswords, or you just find yourself wondering what mathematicians and theoretical computer scientists get up to in their spare time, this course is for you!  Students will engage daily in solving different types of mathematical puzzles that relate to foundational concepts in computer science.

If you were a pirate trying to steal gold from other pirates, what would you do? If you were forced to deduce the color of your friend's hat to escape an eccentric magician, how might counting help? If you were waging a war of wits against an evil professor (welcome to college, by the way), why might a chessboard come in handy?

There's a colorful, magical world of math that is far away from the boring or difficult reputation it often gets, and it involves fun, creative thinking, and often unexpected connections to deep ideas in theoretical research.

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This course is offered at the UMass Amherst campus as a residential program. Local students may apply to attend as a commuter.