Mathematical Olympiad Treasures

“I took great pleasure in reading Mathematical Olympiad Treasures, by Titu Andreescu and Bogdan Enescu. This book is the fruit of the prodigious activity of two well-known creators of mathematics problems in various mathematical journals….

Treasures is organized in six chapters. The first three deal with problems from algebra, geometry and trigonometry, number theory and combinatorics. Chapters 4, 5 and 6 give the solutions to problems presented in the first three chapters. In all the chapters, the reader can find numerous challenging problems. All featured solutions are interesting, given in increasing level of difficulty; some of them are real gems that will give great satisfaction to any math lover attempting to solve the problems—or even extend them. I believe strongly that Mathematical Olympiad Treasures will reveal the beauty of mathematics to all students, teachers and all math lovers.” —MAA Online

“…this is one of a long recent series of challenging secondary math books, coauthored by Dr. Titu Andreescu and published by Birkhäuser, a series that has definitely enriched the literature on secondary mathematics – a credit to the coauthor and to the wisdom of the editor.” —Zentralblatt

“Mathematical Olympiad Treasures” aims at building a bridge between ordinary high school exercises and more sophisticated, intricate and abstract concepts and problems in undergraduate mathematics. The book contains a stimulating collection of problems in the subjects of algebra, geometry and trigonometry, number theory and combinatorics. While it may be considered a sequel to “Mathematical Olympiad Challenges,” the focus of “Treasures” is on engaging a wider audience of undergraduates to think creatively in applying techniques and strategies to problems in the real world.

The problems are clustered by topic into self-contained sections. Unlike “Challenges,” however, “Treasures” begins with elementary facts, followed by a number of carefully selected problems and an extensive discussion of their solutions. This discussion then leads to more complicated and more intellectually challenging problems, as well as their solutions. Throughout the book students are encouraged to express their ideas, conjectures, and conclusions in writing. The goal is to help readers develop a host of new mathematical tools and strategies that will be useful beyond the classroom and in a number of disciplines.

“Mathematical Olympiad Treasures” reflects the depth of experience of two seasoned professors and coaches from the United States and Romanian Olympiad teams.