The Mathematical Association of America and Zala Films present:
Hard Problems: The Road to the World's Toughest Math Contest

Libraries or institutions who wish to obtain performance rights to use the DVD should contact our service center at 1-800-331-1622 to order.

Feature: 82 minutes/Classroom version: 45 minutes

Hard Problems is about the extraordinary gifted students who represented the United States in 2006 at the world's toughest math competition: the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). It is the story of six American high school students who competed with 500 others from 90 countries in Ljublijana, Slovenia. The film shows the dedication and perseverance of these remarkably talented students, the rigorous preparation they undertake, and the joy they get out of solving challenging math problems. It captures the spirit that infuses the mathematical quest at the highest level.

Bonus Features: (52 minutes)

• Mathematicians in Finance
• Families and Schooling
• Girls at the IMO
• History of the IMO
• USA and IMO Olympiad (Problems and Answers 2006-2007---pdf).

Funding for Hard Problems was provided by a grant from The Penn Oberlander Family Foundation and Ellington Management Group, L.L.C.

Check out the Hard Problems website.