Rules

Every game may be run by whatever rules the game manager sets. The rules below are provided as a default set of guidelines that should be assumed unless instructed otherwise.

Materials

Players may work with team members to solve problems in accordance with the spirit of the game. The materials allowed for a given game are ultimately defined by the game manager based on the circumstances and goals for their event. Assume the guidelines below apply if not told otherwise.

• Players should not use outside sources, such as the internet, to solve problems.
• Typical test taking materials, such as scratch paper, graph paper, rulers, compass, protractors, and erasers are allowed.
• No calculators or other electronics may be used to provide an unfair advantage in solving problems.

Form of answers

All answers are judged against the exact text configured by the game manager. As a result, any answer that does not match exactly will be incorrect. Note that this does not relate to the specific content of a question or the process to reach a final answer. Instead, "answer" in this context is specific only to the final text submitted by a team.

Unless a game or question specifies a different form of answer, assume all answers follow the guidelines below:

• Answers should not include spaces before, within, or after the text. Exceptions, such as an answer of greater than must be explicitly stated.
• Answers should not include units, such as inches. If units are necessary, the format must be explicitly explained so that the team knows whether to use 4 inches vs. 4in, etc.
• If an answer specifies a specific time, format it with hours, minutes, seconds and AM/PM, such as 11:22:33PM.
• Answers should not be fractions. Instead, a final step should be applied, such as adding the numerator and denominator to produce a final answer sum. This step must be explicitly stated in the question.
• All fractions must be reduced with rationalized denominators prior to calculating a final answer. For example, if the question requires the final numerator and denominator be added together, it is assumed \(\frac{2}{4}\) will be reduced to \(\frac{1}{2}\) before adding the values together to produce a final answer of \(3\).
• Answers should not include symbolic constants like \(\pi\) or calculations like \(\sqrt{2}\). The question should specify how the final answer can be selected or calculated so that it's easy to express the final answer in simple text.
• Multiple-choice questions should account for case sensitivity in answers and prefer numbered choices where possible to avoid casing mistakes. They also require the correct choice be submitted. Submitting the answer value is incorrect.

Running your own games

Interested in running your own games for your classroom or club? Reach out to hello@mathcrafters.com.