Last Updated: 01/24/2012*

Scott Wu, of Baton Rouge, La., is Middle School Math Champ at Raytheon MATHCOUNTS® National Competition;
California captures national team championship

Can you answer this question?

Scott Wu, of Baton Rouge, La., answered this question and won the 2011 Raytheon MATHCOUNTS® National Competition held May 6 at the Renaissance Washington, D.C. Downtown Hotel. The 8th-grader from Glasgow Middle School competed against 223 other middle school students in the prestigious competition which engages the best and brightest from middle schools across the country. Scott Wu was victorious in the intense, one-on-one Countdown Round in which the top 12 Mathletes competed for the championship title.

From California to Kansas, ‘Mathletes’ Prevail in Competition
Yang Liu, of St. Louis, Mo., was awarded the second-place individual title with Shyam Narayanan, of Overland Park, Kan., and Kevin Yang, of Bellevue, Wash., advancing to the semi-finals. In the team competition, California captured the title of National Team Champions. Team members include Andrew He, of Cupertino, Calif.; Alex Hong, of Los Altos, Calif.; Celine Liang, of Saratoga, Calif.; Sean Shi, of Saratoga, Calif.; and coach Vandana Kadam, of San Jose, Calif. The Michigan team took second place, and the Texas team placed third.

“I want to congratulate our 2011 MATHCOUNTS champions for all their hard work and dedication,” said William H. Swanson, Raytheon Chairman and CEO and 2011 MATHCOUNTS honorary chairman. “I hope all of these impressive young students had a rewarding and memorable week, and that the experience further inspires them to use math as a key to unlocking the doors to rewarding careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.”

“Congratulations to all the Mathletes,” said Lou DiGioia, executive director of the MATHCOUNTS Foundation. “All of the competitors should feel proud of their accomplishments. Their hard work, dedication and enthusiasm have shined throughout the entire competition, from their hometowns to the national stage. We hope our contestants’ passion for mathematics is even stronger, and we wish them our best as they continue their journey in mathematics and science.”

As National Champion, Scott Wu won the $8,000 Donald G. Weinert Scholarship and a trip to U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala. Yang Liu won a $6,000 scholarship as Second-place Individual. Semi-finalists Shyam Narayanan and Kevin Yang each won a $4,000 scholarship. Shyam Narayanan also won an $8,000 scholarship as the Written Round Winner, and Scott Wu also won a $6,000 scholarship as Written Round Runner-up. Additionally, each member of the winning California team won a $2,000 scholarship and trips to space camp.

The Raytheon Commitment
Raytheon is the title sponsor of the Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition through 2014. Sponsorship of the Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition is a core component of Raytheon’s MathMovesU® program, an initiative designed to engage middle school students in math and science and help inspire the next generation of technologists and innovators.

The answer is: 95 (digits)