2005 Essay Contest

Bring Pi to life by giving it a voice to describe what it knows. Discuss the secrets of the world that Pi holds in it's decimal representation.

Note: The story involves the use of hexadecimal representation of numbers, which is simply base 16 representation. For example, in the binary or base 2 system we have 2 digits, 0 and 1; and in the decimal or base 10 system there are 10 digits: 0 through 9. Similarly, in the hexadecimal or base 16 system, we must use new symbols to arrive at the 16 hexadecimal (hex) digits:
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F.

For example the hexadecimal representation of the base 10 number 177130 is found by successively dividing quotients by 16:
177130 = 16(11070) + 10
11070 = 16(691) + 14
691 = 16 (43) + 3
43 = 16 (2) +11
2 = 16 (0) + 2
Then since 10, 11, and 14 correspond to hex digits A,B, and E respectively,
177130 = 2B3EA.

Most programming languages have a means of defining a character as a numeric code and, conversely, converting the code back to the character. The American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) is a coding standard for characters, numbers, and symbols. An ASCII Code Chart  gives the representation of standard characters (such as the alphabet) as hexadecimal numbers. For example, the word "MathFest" would be represented as the hexadecimal number
4D 61 74 68 46 65 73 74.

We gratefully acknowledge copywrite permission given to us by Alex Kasman and the Mathematical Association of America MAA  . Recently the MAA published a collection of Professor Kasman's stories, called "Reality Conditions." If you enjoyed reading the "Center of the Universe," you may wish to purchase these stories at the MAA Bookstore . Alex Kasman also asks that you post a review of this story (or any other mathematical fiction) on his Mathematical Fiction   website.

• There is no entry fee.
• Attendance at YSU MathFest is not mandatory to submit an entry.
• Multiple entries may be mailed together.
• Be sure your essay is postmarked (or hand delivered) by November 10, 2005. and addressed as follows:

  YSU MathFest Essay Contest
  Department of Mathematics and Statistics
  Youngstown State University
  One University Plaza
  Youngstown, OH 44555

• Submit only one paper.
• Type or print your paper, double-spaced on unlined white paper, or hand-write your paper in ink on only one side of lined 8.5 x 11" white paper.
• Leave 1" margins on all sides, and number the pages.
• Limit your paper to 700-900 words. Papers that are significantly shorter or longer are disqualified.
• Use a title page with the following information:
  • the title of your paper
  • your name (no nicknames or shortened names)
  • your full address
  • your age and grade
  • your teacher's first and last name
  • the name of your school (no abbreviations)

  Evaluation

  Your essay will be evaluated using the following criteria:
  • your establishment of a clear purpose for writing the essay
  • evidence that you understand the book and story
  • the effectiveness of your organization
  • the clarity, conciseness, and freshness of your language

  Prizes

  PRIZES! will be awarded to the first, second, and third place entries at at MathFest!

  Permissions

  Entries cannot be returned. All entries become property of YSU. The University reserves the right to publish any of the entries submitted, with credit given to the authors.
  
  2004 Essay Contest
  
  2003 Essay Contest
  
  
  
  
  
  MathFest
  mathfest@math.ysu.edu
   

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