CREATING A CULTURE OF PROBLEM SOLVING

THE HUNGARIAN APPROACH TO EDUCATION

KRISTF HUSZR PURE MATHEMATICS BSC

ETVS LORND UNIVERSITY BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

EVANSVILLE, INDIANA, 2011

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Notes ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 5 The Brief History of Education in Hungary ........................................................................................................................................... 6 The Beginnings ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 6 The First University .................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Reformation and Counter-Reformation ............................................................................................................................................ 7 Ratio Educationis ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 The Statute of Jzsef Etvs on Public Education ......................................................................................................................... 8 Development between the World Wars ............................................................................................................................................ 9 The Soviet Influence ................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Notes ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 9 The Education System today .................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Notes .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 11 Four Pillars of Mathematical Education ....................................................................................................................................... 12 1. Great Educators in the Past and Present ..................................................................................................................... 12 Lszl Rtz (1863-1930) ................................................................................................................................................................. 12 Jzsef Krschk (1864-1933)........................................................................................................................................................ 13 Lipt Fejr (1880-1959) .................................................................................................................................................................. 13 Gyrgy Plya (1887-1985) ............................................................................................................................................................. 14 Tams Varga (1919-1987) .............................................................................................................................................................. 15 Pl Erds (1913-1996) ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 2. Diverse Primary and Secondary School Opportunities ...................................................................................... 17 Advanced Math Programs ............................................................................................................................................................... 17 KMaL Mathematical and Physical Journal for Secondary Schools .......................................................................... 18 Math Competitions ............................................................................................................................................................................. 18 Mathematical Camps, Math-Weekends ................................................................................................................................. 19 3. 4. Extensive and Deep Academic Curriculum ................................................................................................................. 22 A Very Strong Community ..................................................................................................................................................... 24

Notes .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 24 Challenges Today ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 26 Notes .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 28 Picture Gallery ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 29 Sources of Figures ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 37

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This paper would not have been possible without the support of many people. I would like to thank my hosts MARGARET MCMULLAN and PATRICK OCONNOR for their very kind invitation to Evansville. I am excessively grateful for their support. I would like to express my gratitude to the Department of Mathematics, University of Evansville, especially DR. DAVE DWYER, chair of the department. Working with him is a great honor and pleasure for me. In Hungary, LAJOS PSA provided deep and beautiful insight into the adventurous world of Mathematics for many of us. In his math camps I made a lot of friends and gained life experience. He also shared some photos of his exceptional lectures which are included in this work. I am highly grateful for them. I learned a great deal about Mathematics and Mathematics History from the deep conversations with DR. DM BESENYEI, Etvs Lornd University. I am grateful for his critical and helpful comments on my paper, as well. I would like to thank GYRGY MARCZIS, Erkel Ferenc Secondary School, Gyula for his inspiring lectures at the Nagy Kroly Mathematical Students Meeting and for sharing some photos from his collection. I very much appreciate the help of my English language instructor and academic advisor CHRISTIEDDINGTON, Beloit College, who read through the manuscript carefully and corrected my mistakes. I have already gained invaluable experience at Beloit College about different cultures, liberal education and more. Particularly, I would like to thank DR. DAVE ELLIS, Beloit College, for his very inspiring lectures in Chaotic Dynamical Systems and Topology and for the highly motivating discussions out of the classroom. I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to DR. ANDRAS BOROS-KAZAI and MARY BOROS-KAZAI for their helpfulness.
NA

Without the continuous support of my family I could not have achieved so much in my life. My parents DR. ZOLTN HUSZR, University of Pcs, and RENTA H. PRIKLER, Zipernowsky Kroly Technical High School, made every effort to ensure a solid education for my brother, GERG, and me. They have always encouraged us, taken care of us, and shared their experiences with us. I would also like to say thank you to all of my friends and mathematics teachers who I met at various math camps, competitions or other events. And last but not least, I would like to express the highest gratitude to my very good friend and former mathematics teacher, VERA LNYI who introduced me to the wonderful world of Mathematics during my high school studies and gave me lifelong inspiration.

INTRODUCTION
Hungary has always been famous for her many renowned scientists, particularly mathematicians. This small country in Central Europe, nowadays with slightly less than ten million inhabitants, has thirteen Nobel-Prize laureates1 (despite the fact that there is no Nobel-prize in mathematics, I think it is important to mention it), three each of Wolf-Prize winners2 (Pl Erds, 1983; Pter D. Lax, 1987; Lszl Lovsz, 1999) and Leroy P. Steele laureates3 (Paul R. Halmos, 1983; Peter D. Lax, 1992; Endre Szemerdi; 2008). In addition, John von Neumann won the Bcher Memorial Prize4 in 1938, which is only awarded by the American Mathematical Society every five years. But there have been recent prize-winning occasions, as well. F IGURE 1 : Pter D. Lax; Abel-Prize, 2005. Jnos Kollr, specializing in algebraic geometry received the prestigious Cole Prize5 in 2006 and Lszl Lovsz (of the Etvs Lornd University, Budapest) the Kyoto-Prize6 in 2010. These are only a few examples from a very long list of Hungarian mathematical highlights. And the Hungarian combinatorial school, which is famous around the world, has not been mentioned yet. Not only the professional researchers are successful. The Hungarian team is a regular participant in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), which is the most prestigious contest for high school level competitors. According to the cumulative results, Hungary occupies third place (with 77 Gold, 143 Silver, 80 Bronze medals, and 5 Honorable Mentions) in a list that includes more than 100 countries.7 In second place is the USA, and in first place is China. On the other hand, the team of the Etvs Lornd University finished first in the International Mathematics Competition (IMC) in 2008. This is an annual contest for undergraduates. There were ninety universities represented, including Moscow State (Russia), Princeton (USA), Sharif (Iran), cole Polytechnique (France) and many other universities known world-wide.8 So far it seems that the mathematical education is Hungary is perfect. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), a survey given every three years, showed that, in general, the Hungarian (Math) education faces serious problems.9 In 2009 in the subject of Math, Hungary finished twenty-ninth out of sixty-five countries in the field of Mathematics. The United States finished thirtieth. Many of the problems have financial as well as structural origins. The regional IMO Training Centers (TC) have been closed recently because of the lack of financial resources.10 These TCs used to provide mathematics courses, which enhanced the problem-solving skills and the knowledge of the students living in the countryside and in smaller cities. Now, if someone would like to participate in Olympiad Training, this person would have to travel to the capital city, Budapest. The trip there and back takes at least six hours by train and the tickets are getting more and more expensive. Many families cannot afford this, so the talented and motivated youngster quits the training after a while and, maybe in some extreme cases, decides s/he does not want to deal with math in the future at all. In this paper, I would like to give a brief outline on mathematics education in Hungary; it is strongly based on my own experience. In addition, I will try to answer the question: Why are (some) Hunga-

rians so good at math? Furthermore, I would like to point out some of the main problems of education in Hungary and, what we could learn from the education system in the United States.

NOTES
All online material accessed on March 7, 2011.
1 BECK, MIHLY:

A Nobel-dj s a magyar Nobel-djasok. KFKI, Csillebrc (http://www.kfki.hu/~cheminfo/hun/teazo/nobel/nobeldij.html) 2 Wolf Foundation, Mathematics (http://www.wolffund.org.il/cat.asp?id=23&cat_title=MATHEMATICS) 3 Leroy P. Steel Prizes, American Mathematical Society (http://www.ams.org/profession/prizes-awards/ams-prizes/steele-prize) 4 Bcher Memorial Prize, American Mathematical Society (http://www.ams.org/profession/prizes-awards/ams-prizes/bocher-prize) 5 Frank Nelson Cole Prize in Algebra, American Mathematical Society (http://www.ams.org/profession/prizes-awards/ams-prizes/cole-prize-algebra) 6 Kyoto Prize (http://www.kyotoprize.org/news/pressrel/pressrel_111010_lovasz.htm) 7 International Mathematical Olympiad, Cumulative Results by Countries (http://www.imo-official.org/results_country.aspx?column=awards&order=desc) 8 15th International Mathematics Competition for University Students 2008, Team Results (http://www.imc-math.org.uk/imc2008/results2008teams.htm) 9 OECD (2010), PISA 2009 Results: Executive Summary (http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/34/60/46619703.pdf) 10 MIHLY CSORDS, TIBOR NAGY (editors): Cserepek a magyarorszgi matematikai tehetsggondoz mhelyekbl . Bolyai Jnos Matematikai Trsulat, Budapest, 2010; p. 180 (http://www.mategye.hu/download/cserepek/cserepek.pdf)

THE BRIEF HISTORY OF EDUCATION IN HUNGARY11

First of all, I would like to highlight some important milestones in the history of Hungarian education that are not directly related to the mathematics education in the 20th century; however, they determined the education over the past thousand years.

THE BEGINNINGS
In 996, the first Hungarian Benedictine monastery was founded on Saint Martins Hill in Pannonhalma.12 This date can be regarded as the beginning of school education in Hungary. The establishment of the monastery was made possible by the open-minded and progressive politics of Prince Gza 13 and his son, Saint Stephen I, 14 the very first king of Hungary, was crowned in the year 1000. Under his rule Hungary became a Christian country, which significantly affected the education in the following millennium. King Stephen F IGURE 2: The Arch Abbey of Pannonhalma I founded ten episcopates across the country and chapter schools were established everywhere. In the monastery of Pannonhalma the main aim used to be the education of cleric intellectuals, but this has changed over time. The Benedictine Order in Hungary has been dealing with public education since 1802. Nowadays, the Benedictine Secondary School of Pannonhalma is one of the most excellent secondary schools in Hungary. This is a boarding school for boys only.

THE FIRST UNIVERSITY

In 1367, Pope Urban V founded the very first university of Hungary in Pcs (my hometown). It was the forty-fourth university in the world. The financers were King Ludwig I of Hungary and Bishop William of Pcs. In the end of the 14th century, the university had only about 800 students. Nowadays, this is a state university with ten different colleges. In addition, the number of people learning here is over 30,000. 15 On the left you can see the seal of the university with the Latin description and in the center there is the blazon of the institution.

F IGURE 3: The seal of the University of Pcs

REFORMATION AND COUNTER-REFORMATION

The Protestant Reformation and later Counter-Reformation brought mentionable innovation into the education system in Hungary in the 16-17th centuries. Calvinist Colleges and Lutheran Lyceums were founded with very high standards in teaching. In a school like a Lyceum a student could learn from the age of 6 until the age of 28; from the basics to advanced academic knowledge. These schools provided education at all levels and they had also a great tutoring system. (In my opinion, the lack of a well-working tutoring system and the lack of a close master-and-pupil-relationship is a big problem to be solved in the Hungarian education system today.) On the other hand, the Jesuits institutions played and continue to play a relevant role in education even today. In 1599, the Jesuits issued the Ratio Studiorum (Latin: Plan of Studies), which provided new structural concepts in education and a new curriculum, as well. This booklet became so popular that even other Christian orders used it and implemented these regulations in education. In 1635, Pter Pzmny the leader of the Counter-Reformation movement, founded a university in Nagyszombat (today Trnava, Slovakia) which was the predecessor of the Etvs Lornd University (ELTE) in Budapest, Hungary.16 The ELTE is one of the largest universities in Hungary with eight colleges and about 32,500 students. In addition, this is the oldest university in Hungary that is in continuous operation. In our case, the most relevant aspect is that generations of excellent mathematicians have been educated here, especially since the beginning of the 20th century. Today the Institute of Mathematics at ELTE has eight departments; 110 professional mathematicians work here teaching the next generation and doing diverse research on various topics.17 The director of the Institute is Lszl Lovsz, former president of the International Mathematical Union and one of the most renowned mathematicians today.18
F IGURE 4: The seal of the ELTE

F IGURE 5: The ELTE, Lgymnyos -Campus on the coast of the Danube. In these two buildings there are the colleges for nature sciences, social sciences and information -technology.

RATIO EDUCATIONIS
7

In 1777 one year after the United States Declaration of Independence was issued - Maria Theresa (member of the House of Habsburg) the Queen of Hungary issued the first public education act in Hungary, the so-called Ratio Educationis.19 This was an important reform in the Hungarian educational system. The most relevant parts of the act are the following: Taking part in education became compulsory for everyone between ages 6-12. The act broke the hegemony of the Catholic Church in the field of education. All levels of education became the responsibility of the state. Ratio Educationis affected the entire education system. The partition of the school system was as follows: four years of elementary school three years of junior secondary school five years of senior secondary school two years of academy four years of university

F IGURE 6: Maria Theresa, Queen of Hungary in 1762 (by Jean- tienne Liotard)

THE STATUTE OF JZSEF ETVS ON PUBLIC EDUCATION

Another milestone in the history of education was the 38th Statute in 1868, introduced by Jzsef Etvs, the Minister of Religion and Education in Hungary from 1867 to 1871. Etvs was a dominant statesman and writer in Hungary in the second half of the 19th century. He was a member of the first government after the Hungarian Revolution in 1848, as well. His son Lornd Etvs was a renowned physicist and also a minister of religion and education.20 The brief summary of the 38th Statute from 1868 is listed below. Taking part in education: compulsory for everyone between the ages 6-12. F IGURE 7: Jzsef Etvs in Freedom of learning and freedom of education; equality of all 1845, by Mikls Barabs religions in education. Everyone should get educated in his/her mother tongue. Ethnicities could found their own schools and get education in their mother tongue. Founding of upper public schools in settlements with more than 5,000 inhabitants is ma ndatory. Higher standards in education; better equipment and surroundings; more (financial) benefits for teachers.

Despite the early death of Etvs in 1871, in the following decades a remarkable improvement in the education in Hungary was seen. The number of teachers increased quickly and so did the number of public schools, from approx. 10,000 to 16,000. 8

DEVELOPMENT BETWEEN THE WORLD WARS

The Treaty of Trianon (June 4, 1920) ended the First World War, which was extremely disadvantageous we can say catastrophic for Hungary. The countrys territory was reduced from 283,000 km2 to its current area today of 93,000 km2, and we lost sixty percent of the population, too. (It was 18.2 million before the treaty, and became 7.2 million after it.) All this was accompanied by terrible inflation and an economic crisis. The Minister of Religion, Culture and Education, Kuno Klebelsberg, saw the only solution in the development of the sciences. In this difficult period, between 1926 and 1930, eight to eleven percent of the state budget was spent on education and culture: 5000 elementary schools were built. It was the period when the best Hungarian secondary schools were founded. These schools are still operating and have given outstanding scientists to the world.

THE SOVIET INFLUENCE

After 1945, Hungary became the part of the so-called Soviet zone, and it remained so until 1990. After the suppression of the 1956 Revolution in Hungary a great number of intellectuals left the country. A lot of them found a new home and new life in the USA, and hopefully they added to the scientific achievements of this great country.

NOTES
This chapter summarizes the history of education in Hungary very briefly. It is based on the following comprehensive book: ISTVN MSZROS, ANDRS NMETH, BLA PUKNSZKY: Nevelstrtnet. Bevezets a pedaggia s az iskolztats trtnetbe. Osiris Tanknyvek, Budapest, 2003 (Source of the facts is this book, unless otherwise stated.) 12 Today this is the Arch Abbey of Pannonhalma, member of the UNESCO World Heritage. Next to the monastery there is the Benedictine Secondary School of Pannonhalma which is one of the most distinguished boys boarding schools in Hungary. (http://www.bences.hu/en) 13 Gza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians (c. 945-997). During his rule Christianity began to spread among the Hungarians. Today this is the Arch Abbey of Pannonhalma, member of the UNESCO World Heritage. Next to the monastery there is the Benedictine Secondary School of Pannonhalma which is one of the most distinguished boys boarding schools in Hungary. (http://www.bences.hu/en) 13 Gza, Grand Prince (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%A9za,_Grand_Prince_of_the_Hungarians) 14 Saint Stephan I (c. 970-1038). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_I_of_Hungary) 15 The First University of Hungary (http://www.pte.hu/menu/21); Homepage (http://english.pte.hu/) and Wikipedia article (http://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A9csi_Tudom%C3%A1nyegyetem) 16 Homepage of the Etvs Lornd University (http://www.elte.hu/en) 17 Source of facts: Homepage of the Institute of Mathematics (http://www.cs.elte.hu/index.html?lang=en) 18 Wikipedia article about Lovsz (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A1szl%C3%B3_Lov%C3%A1sz) 19 The first issue of Ratio Educationis in 1777 from the Hungarian Digital Library (MEK) (http://mek.oszk.hu/06500/06559/) 20 In 1895 Lornd Etvs founded the Etvs Jzsef Collegium (EJC) in Budapest, named after his father. With very high standards in education this institution has been an important workshop of talent nurturing since its formation.
11

THE EDUCATION SYSTEM TODAY

After mentioning the most important stations in the history of education, I would like to continue by outlining the main characteristics of the Hungarian education system today. Our education system is no less complicated than the most education systems in the world. Actually, a whole dissertation written by an expert would be necessary to show all the details. Using the following table, I have tried to capture the essence of the system. The PrePrimary and Higher Education levels seem to be clear, but the General School and Secondary school levels are a little bit confusing. We have three different systems at these levels, but in general there are only minor differences. Basically, the curriculum is everywhere the same.23 Education is mandatory between the ages of five and eighteen. AGE 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 [27, ) LEVEL21 PREPRIMARY ISCED 0 8+4 DESCRIPTION 3-4 years of kindergarten 6+6 4+8

GENERAL SCHOOL ISCED 1-2

SECONDARY
SCHOOL

ISCED 3 FINAL EXAM (BACCALAUREATE) Vocational B. A. / B. Sc. Exceptions: School (undergraduate) medical, law, archiM. A. / M. Sc. tecture (graduate) Ph. D. / D. L. A. (post-graduate) LIFELONG LEARNING

HIGHER EDUCATION ISCED 4-6

Based on: EURYDICE22 The 8+4-system is the most common. After four or six years of General School, the student has the opportunity of changing to Secondary School. Six- or eight-year long secondary school programs are usually offered by special institutions. In Hungary twelve secondary schools have a six-year long Advanced Mathematics program (at secondary school level), which is the most important thing in our case.24 The very first Spec-Math (according to the Hungarian description) class was started in 1962 in the famous Fazekas School in Budapest, which is, according to many surveys, one of the best secondary schools in Hungary.25 From the early sixties Fazekas has been an important talent-nurturing center, especially in mathematics. Some members of the first math class were: Zsolt Baranyai (), Istvn Berkes, Mikls Laczkovich, Lszl Lovsz, Jzsef Pelikn, Lajos Psa and Katalin Vesztergombi. All of them have become renowned mathematicians.

10

Obviously, this is only a very short outlook of todays system, but in the following, I will provide more information that is strongly connected to this section.

NOTES
ISCED refers for the UNESCO International Standard Classification of Education levels (http://www.uis.unesco.org/ev.php?ID=7433_201&ID2=DO_TOPIC) 22 Organization of the Education System in Hungary 2008/2009; EURYDICE (http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/eurybase/eurybase_full_reports/HU_EN.pdf) 23 This is the so called Nemzeti Alaptanterv, which means National Core Curriculum. The document can be downloaded from the homepage of the Ministry of National Resources: (http://www.nefmi.gov.hu/kozoktatas/tantervek/nemzeti-alaptanterv-nat) 24Specilis matematika tagozatos iskolk s tanraik. Matematika Oktatsi Portl (http://matek.fazekas.hu/portal/rolunk/spectanarok.html) 25 Fazekas Mihly Primary and Secondary School and Teacher Training Centre, Budapest. History of the Fazekas (http://www.fazekas.hu/iskolank/iskolatortenet)
21

11

FOUR PILLARS OF MATHEMATICAL EDUCATION

We arrive at the main part of this paper. During my secondary school years (2005-2009), I had the opportunity to take part in several mathematics competitions and students programs, which gave me knowledge, memories and experience for life. In my opinion, these diverse secondary (and primary) school programs lead by great teachers are the most important places of talent nurturing in mathematics in Hungary at this level. I will explore this topic in the second section. The third section will contain the consequence of the second one. In all of these programs most participants make friends, not jealous rivalries and, therefore, these are the birthplaces of a very strong community where people help each other, not hinder. I will specify my thoughts about this in the fourth section. Initially, I would like to write about the first pillar of the mathematical education in Hungary: its great educators.

1. GREAT EDUCATORS IN THE P AST AND PRESENT26

If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants. (Isaac Newton) At this point I think I am in both a very lucky and unlucky situation. I am lucky because there are many hugely important teachers, especially from the 20th century, who created the culture of problem solving not just in Hungary, but also in other countries where they lived during their lives. On the other hand, I am unlucky because I cannot mention all of these great teachers due to the limited length of the paper. More precisely, I can mention only a few examples.

LSZL RTZ (1863-1930)27

He was a legendary mathematics teacher of the famous Fasori Evanglius Gimnzium (Fasori Lutheran Secondary School) in Budapest from 1890 to 1925. During these thirty-five years of teaching, Rtz reformed mathematical education with his excessively efficient teaching methods and with his personality. He dealt with his students as equals and as colleagues. He often invited them to his home and into the company of his university colleagues, both of which could be very motivating for a talented young person. When he realized that he could not teach more to a student, he then requested another university professor to take him/her over to teach. For his work in education he was awarded the prestigious Officer d'Acadmie award at a 1910 Paris congress. From 1896 to 1914 he was editor-in-chief of the journal KMaL which has played a very important role in the mathematical talent nurturing in Hungary since 1894.28

F IGURE 8: L SZL R TZ ; after the painting of Kunwald Czr

NOTABLE STUDENTS
Eugene Wigner, Nobel-Prize laureate in Physics, 1963 John von Neumann 12

According to a nice anecdote, Eugene Wigner was asked in the late 1970s 'Do you remember Rtz?' to which he answered, 'There he is!' and pointed to a picture of Rtz on his office wall.29 Nowadays, the Lszl Rtz Life Work Award is one of the most prestigious awards for secondary school teachers. In addition, the annual national math teachers meeting of the Bolyai Jnos Mathematical Society is named after Lszl Rtz.

JZSEF KRSCHK (1864-1933)30

outstanding mathematicians such as [Eugene] Hunyadi, Julius Knig, Krschk and [Gusztv] Rados have contributed to the high standard of mathematical education at the Technical University [of Budapest]. Their scientific and teaching activity affected mathematical life in the whole country and laid the foundation of the internationally recognized mathematical school in Hungary. (Pter Rzsa)31 Krschk was an outstanding mathematician (especially in algebra and geometry). He was also a great teacher at the turn of the century. At the beginning of his career Krschk was a teacher in secondary schools. Besides teaching, he worked on the national mathematics curriculum. In 1891, he started teaching at the Technical University of Budapest and continued to work there the rest of his life. He made important contribuF IGURE 9: J ZSEF tions to mathematics, and he was a nurturer of talent, too. Dnes Knig K RSCHK and John von Neumann were both students of Krschk. He was one of the main organizers of the Etvs Lornd Mathematics Competition for secondary school graduates, which was started in 1894. (In 1949, this competition was renamed the Krschk Jzsef Mathematics Competition in his honor.) This is the very first modern mathematical competition of the world! Since it was started, the Jnos Bolyai Mathematical Society has organized the competition every year (during the World Wars there were some exceptions). One of his most important works is the socalled Hungarian Problem Book, issued in 1929. In this work he summarized the challenging problems and solutions of the first thrity-two Etvs Competitions and Krschks extensions. Today this is a widely known four-volume book series and it was translated into English, Russian, Romanian and even to Japanese, Arabic, and Korean.32

LIPT FEJR (1880-1959)33

It was not given to him to solve very difficult problems or to build vast conceptual structures. Yet he could perceive the significance, the beauty, and the promise of a rather concrete not too large problem, foresee the possibility of a solution and work at it with intensity. And, when he had found the solution, he kept on working at it with loving care, till each detail became fully transparent. (Gyrgy Plya on Fejr)34 "Lipt Weiss has again sent in a beautiful solution." (Lszl Rtz)35 He was born in Pcs, a southern Hungarian city where I am from, as 13
F IGURE 10: Lip t Fejr

well. Fejr studied mathematics and physics in Budapest and Berlin. In Budapest he was taught by, among others, Julius Knig, Jzsef Krschk, Man Beke and Lornd Etvs. In 1911, he became the leader of the mathematics institute at the University of Budapest (later: Etvs Lornd University) and held that position until his death. During these nearly fifty years he created a very successful school in mathematical analysis. He had many students who later became great mathematicians.

NOTABLE STUDENTS
Pl Erds John von Neumann Pl Turn Gyrgy Plya Lszl Kalmr Marcel Riesz Gbor Szeg Mihly Fekete Kornl Lnczos Tibor Rad Tibor Bakos

Except for Kornl Lnczos and Tibor Bakos, all of the listed people were doctoral students of Fejr. Today the mathematical competition in the county Baranya (the county seat is Pcs) is named after him.36

GYRGY PLYA (1887-1985)

If you can't solve a problem, then there is an easier problem you can solve: find it. (Gyrgy Plya)37 There is no doubt that Gyrgy Plya was one of the greatest math educators in the 20th century. He was born in Budapest and after graduating from the University of Budapest, he became a professor of mathematics at the top Swiss university, ETH Zrich. He held this position from 1914 to 1940, but due to World War II he had to leave Europe. From 1940 until his death, Plya worked at Stanford University in the United States. In his own words, Plya became a mathematician because the journal KMaL, the Krschk Jzsef Mathematical Memorial Contest, and Fejr Lipt affected him so much.

During his long life Plya worked in various fields of mathematics: number theory, analysis, geometry, algebra, combinatorics and probability theory.38 He also made great contributions to mathematical education and the methodology of math teaching. Plyas books are classic masterpieces in this field. Probably his most popular book is How to Solve It: A New Aspect of Mathematical Method, issued in 1945 by the Princeton University Press. The fact that it has been in print continuously since 1945 and has been translated into twenty-three different languages tells much about the reputation of the book.39 In this book Plya explores the ways of mathematical thinking and makes suggestions (The Four Principles40) in problem solving. He emphasizes the heuristic thinking methods, too. The book is used by many teachers, students, problem solvers and mathematicians today, as well. I also clearly remember reading this Plya-book when I was a secondary school student. Another classic work of his is Problems and Theorems in Analysis I-II with another mathematician, Gbor Szeg.41 This is a very detailed, deep and unique introduction to analysis through exercises and problems. Today this book is often referred only as The Plya-Szeg, because it is simply one of the best textbooks ever written on this topic. The structure of this book strongly affected Lszl Lovsz when he wrote his famous book 14

F IGURE 11 : Gyrgy Plya (G. L. Alexandersons collection)

Combinatorial Problems and Exercises.42 Plya was an exceptional figure (not only) in mathematics education. Thanks to his extensive social network, he could present and share his ideas with a very broad audience.

TAMS VARGA (1919-1987)43

Tams Varga was an outstanding figure of mathematics education even from an international perspective. He caught worldwide attention by elaborating on a complex teaching method in mathematics during the 1960s or early 70s. With his colleagues he was working carefully on the details and, as a result of their hard work, a completely new, integrated mathematical curriculum was first introduced in primary schools in 1978. Todays primary and secondary level math education in Hungary is partly based on Vargas main ideas:44 Mathematics classes from the very first years in school. Instead of Arithmetic and Geometry classes there is one Mathematics class with various topics. Stimulating creativity, mathematical thinking. Calculation techniques are important, as well, but they should not be overemphasized. The introduction of abstract concepts should be based on the experience and explorations of the students. This introduction should not be very quick. Flexible teachers who are capable to make responsible decisions and regularly train themselves. They are familiar with many areas in mathematics. Various activities in classes. Playing (mathematical) games is very important.
F IGURE 12: Tams Varga

Although everyone agrees with the high efficiency of Vargas method, only a few hundred teachers use it in practice for some reason. Other countries have already adopted this idea successfully, but in Hungary the process is very slow (not only in regard to the legislation, but in peoples attitudes as well). Sometimes even the direction of the development is not obvious. Tams Varga was a co-editor of an internationally respected book on teaching mathematics.45 Today the national mathematic competition for middle-school students is named after him.

15

PL ERDS (1913-1996)
Never, mathematicians say, has there been an individual like Paul Erds. He was one of the century's greatest mathematicians, who posed and solved thorny problems in number theory and other areas and founded the field of discrete mathematics, which is the foundation of computer science. He was also one of the most prolific mathematicians in history, with more than 1,500 papers to his name. And, his friends say, he was also one of the most unusual. (G. Kolata)46 The quotation above is a good characterization of Pali bcsi (Uncle F IGURE 13: P l Erds Paul). At that time, the internet and email had not been invented yet, but he had traveled so much during his life that, some people said he was a virtual substitute for electronic mail. There is a quotation, which describes this very kindly: "Want to meet Erdos? - mathematicians would ask. Just stay here and wait. He'll show up."47 With no home and no permanent job, Erds was the most prolific mathematician ever (he had 1,525 publications, more than Leonard Euler had).48 Although he had no special teaching methodology when he met somebody, even a talented child, he often told him/her unsolved problems the first time he was probably one of the most inspiring mathematicians of all time. He dealt with everyone as colleagues. In his life Erds won several mathematical prizes with high cash rewards, but he didnt need much money due to his strange and puritan lifestyle. He donated most of his fortune to support talented students and he offered cash prizes for solving problems he posed. During his career Erds worked with so many people (511 co-authors49), that some of his friends introduced the concept of Erds-number, which describes the collaborative distance between a person and him. The definition is the following: Definition: Pl Erds has the Erds-number of zero. Someones Erds-number is , where is the lowest Erds-number of any co-authors. If there is no such k, then the persons Erds-number is infinite.50 Erds has become a legendary figure of the mathematical folklore, which is proven by many projects (e. g. The Erds Number Project51), books, films, jokes and anecdotes related to him. One of my favorite examples is the Collaboration Distance Calculator52 of AMSs MathSciNet:

F IGURE 14: One can calculate the Erds -number directly with the Use Erds -button.

16

2. DIVERSE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES

A childs brain is like a sponge. (Proverb) Some people say that talented children should be recognized as early as possible and they should get special treatment from a very young age. Other people say that we only have to show the opportunities, and then, let students choose freely from them. I personally do not know which way is better. Probably, there are more than these two choices. Nevertheless, I cannot agree more with the quotation above. In Hungary there are many mathematical talent-nurturing programs. This is the consequence of having so many great educators, partly shown in the previous section. There are math contests even for third grade primary school pupils and, from the age of twelve, students who are interested in them have various [mathematical] opportunities. I started dealing seriously with math when I entered secondary school. The personality and attitude of my math teacher VERA LNYI played a huge role in my decision of mathematics. I remember that during the first class she showed us the journal KMaL and encouraged us to think on the posed problems in it. She is also one of the main teachers of the Erds Pl School for Mathematical Talents,53 which is one of the most relevant mathematical workshops today. The following section is strongly based on my own experience. Therefore, it is a more subjective than comprehensive introduction to the important building bricks of mathematical talent nurturing.

ADVANCED MATH PROGRAMS

Today twelve secondary schools offer a six-year long advanced mathematics program54 (recall the 6+6 system on p. 10) from the seventh grade up to the twelfth. In the higher grades the curriculum is usually divided into more parts (algebra, geometry, analysis, etc.) and students have seven to eight math classes per week. If this is not enough, the students can take part in extracurricular classes. Probably the most renowned advanced mathematics program is provided by the Fazekas Mihly Primary and Secondary School and Teacher Training Centre in Budapest. The first class was started in 1962 under the leadership of Gyula Komls and the teacher of mathematics was Imre Rbai. Some prominent members of the class were: Zsolt Baranyai (), Istvn Berkes, Mikls Laczkovich, Lszl Lovsz, Jzsef Pelikn, Lajos Psa and Katalin Vesztergombi. In the past forty years, many students graduated from these schools and became successful scientists.

17

KMAL MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL JOURNAL FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS55

This monthly journal for secondary school students is unique in the world. It was founded by a mathematics teacher, Dniel Arany in 1893. (At that time the name of the journal was Kzpiskolai Mathematikai Lapok.) During its 118 years of existence (its publication was paused during the World Wars), many generations grew up solving and thinking on problems posed in the journal, which have always offered a great opportunity for students to read about exciting, extra-curricular topics in math and physics and to train themselves by participating in the contests. It is also an extensive source of classroom materials for the teacher. Many great scientists (mainly mathematicians) of the past and present, when they are asked about it, mention the KMaL as one of the main sources of motivation at the beginning. There is not enough space in this paper to list all these scientists. I also have very good memories related to KMaL. While thinking on problems in the journal, one can gain problem-solving experience for life.

F IGURE 15: The issue 2006/3 of the KMaL

Nowadays, the KMaL has four math (A, B, C and K), two physics (P and M), and two computer science (I and S) competitions at different levels. In addition, you can participate in the onlinecompetitions, as well. Most contests are year-long challenges. In most cases, there are nine rounds in a school year; the problems are posed at the beginning of each month and the contestants have one month to solve and hand them in via mail or on the Electronic Workbook. One can find a detailed description of the contests on the homepage of the journal.56 Another hugely motivating reward: the pictures of the best contestants are included to the legendary Photo Archives of the journal.57 According to the idiom Practice makes perfect, in the past century KMaL has been the playground of practice not only for mathematicians, but also for many other excellent scientists.

MATH COMPETITIONS
We have already explored the contests of KMaL. Now, I would like to address some other contests. Due to the limitations of time and space, I will mention only national competitions. For more detail I would suggest the comprehensive publication of the Jnos Bolyai Mathematical Society.58 I will write briefly about the style of some secondary-school level competitions. Most of them have their analogues at lower levels. The historical background can be found in the references.

PROOF-BASED COMPETITIONS
KRSCHK JZSEF MATHEMATICAL COMPETITION59 The oldest mathematics competition in the world and the most prestigious one in Hungary.

18

It was started in 1894. Even university freshmen are allowed to participate. Three problems are posed to be solved in four hours. ARANY DNIEL60 MATHEMATICAL COMPETITION This is THE national competition for 9-10th grade students. NATIONAL COMPETITION FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS (OKTV)61 This is THE national competition for 11-12th grade students. With five hours of thinking time, this is the longest exam-type competition in Hungary.

MULTIPLE CHOICE TESTS

MATH KANGAROO62 An international speedy competition. The contestants have only seventy-five minutes to choose their answers. GORDIUSZ MATHEMATICAL COMPETITION Very similar to the Math Kangaroo, but the students are given ninety minutes of thinking time.

MATHEMATICAL CAMPS, MATH-WEEKENDS

These are the mathematical programs in which I took part during my secondary school years. There are many more opportunities (see in 58), but I do not have experience about all of the programs.

UNIVERSITY OF PANNONIAS ERDS PL SCHOOL FOR MATHEMATICAL TALENTS63

This school was founded in 2001 by some enthusiastic math teachers who realized the importance of an institution that can provide intense extra-curricular education for those students who are interested in mathematics. Since its beginning, the Erds Pl School has been in operation under the auspices of the University of Pannonia,64 which provides financial support to the school. Therefore, the admitted students do not have to pay a tuition fee, but they have to pay for other expenses (travel costs, room and board). Every student has to apply annually. The judgment of the applications F IGURE 16: Seal of the is based on the applicants former success in mathematical competitions. University of Pannonia The very first time (when most students dont have a record in math contests yet) almost everyone is admitted (obviously a teachers recommendation is necessary). Each year fifty to sixty students (per grade) get the opportunity to pursue deeper knowledge in mathematics between the walls of the Erds Pl School. The curriculum of the school is deep, extensive and focuses on enhancing the problem-solving skills of the students. The venue of the education is a vocational school in Veszprm, which is a medium size city in Hungary. There are five long weekends in a school-year, when teachers and stu19

dents meet there. On each weekend students take part in seven 90-minute long interactive lectures about various topics presented by the best math teachers in the country. In most cases, a guest speaker (a famous scientist) gives an additional talk. At every math-weekend teachers organize a problem solving contest. They pose two problems for each grade. Students are free to think on them. The solutions have to be handed in on the last day. The successful competitors rewards are beautiful books on diverse topics. The Erds Pl School for Mathematical Talents has a special place in my memory. I made many friends and met a lot of inspiring teachers there. I continue to have a connection with them. I experienced my first success in mathematics in Veszprm, as well. I regularly took part in the problem solving contest and often stayed up at night thinking about the problems. I cannot describe the feeling I felt when I won my first book. I am proud of the fact that I was there for all twenty weekends during my secondary school years.

THE MATHEMATICAL CAMPS OF LAJOS PSA SHORT BIOGRAPHY

Lajos Psa has been already mentioned, as the member of the very first advanced math class at the Fazekas School in Budapest. First of all, I would like to write about him and, just after that, about his unique math camps. He was born in 1947 in Budapest. After graduating as a mathematician from the Etvs Lornd University he started teaching at the Department of Analysis. However, he started doing mathematics much earlier. Psa met Pl Erds when he was just twelve. I would like to quote Erdss famous anecdote from 1969 about their first meeting: "I will talk about Psa who is now 22 years old and the author of about 8 papers. I met him before he was 12 years old. When I returned from the United States in the summer of 1959 I was told about a little boy whose mother was a mathematician and who knew quite a bit about high school mathematics. I was very interested and the next day I had lunch with him. While Psa was eating his soup I asked him the following question: Prove that if you have n + 1 positive integer less than or equal to 2n, some pair of them are relatively prime. It is quite easy to see that the claim is not true of just n such numbers, because no two of the n even numbers up to 2n are relatively prime; Actually I discovered this simple result some years ago but it took me about ten minutes to find the really simple proof. Psa sat there eating his soup and then after half a minute or so he said "If you have n + 1 positive integers less than or equal to 2n, some two of them will have to be consecutive and thus relatively prime." Needless to say, I was very much impressed, and I venture to class this on the same level as Gauss' summation of the positive integers up to 100 when he was just 7 years old." (Pl Erds)65 This little story tells much about Psas talent. He was only 15 years old when he caught the worlds attention by giving a sufficient condition for the existence of a Hamiltonian circuit in a graph. Today this is known as Psas Theorem.66 But after a while Psa was not really interested in mathematical research anymore. He completely turned to teaching mathematics. Actually, he started teaching very early. He was still a secondary school student when he had the opportunity to give lectures in front of his class. As a freshman at the university he was requested to teach at his 20

former secondary school, the Fazekas. At that time, he had many students who later became relevant mathematicians, e. g. Lszl Babai, Gyrgy Elekes (), Pter Komjth and Imre Z. Ruzsa.67 During the seventies, he also worked together with Tams Varga on the reform of mathematics education in Hungary. On March 14, 2011 Psa received the Szchenyi-Prize, which is one of the most prestigious awards is Hungary.

HIS MATHEMATICAL CAMPS

Since 1988, Lajos Psa has organized more than 200 math camps for pupils from the age of 12 to 18. These programs are very different from other mathematics camps. Psa deals in parallel with many groups of students. In a group there are usually 15-30 youngsters, and he meets with each group twice or three times a year. These meetings are whole-weekend programs with a very intense curriculum. The main idea of his methodology is teaching mathematics through discovery. Basically, this means that the student should figure out as many proofs as possible, preferably without help. However, the problems are selected very carefully in order to push the students gently in the right direction. In most cases the problems are strongly related to each other, but these connections are often hidden and they seem to be very tricky at first look. Then, as the student solves more problems, the connection is gradually revealed and there is a magical moment when the last piece of the puzzle finds its place, too. It is amazing and respectable that despite having 40-years experience in teaching, Psa still works very hard to prepare for his next camp. This system works very well. Psas many former students who became successful prove the efficiency of his method. It is extremely important that the connections between Psa and his students are not interrupted after they become too old to take part in his camps. He often invites his former students to work with him as teaching assistants in the camps. I think I am very lucky that I could and can still learn from him.

NAGY KROLY MATHEMATICAL STUDENTS MEETING

This annual conference for secondary school students and teachers was started in 1991 by Gy rgy Olh (Gyuri Bcsi), an exceptional mathematics teacher from Komrno, Slovakia. His main aim was to organize a conference for all Hungarian students who are interested in mathematics. They must also be living within the borders of the historical Hungary (as they were before the Treaty of Trianon). This Students Meeting has a double purpose. Obviously, the first one is the nurturing of the mathematically talented. The second one is to provide the opportunity for students, who are interested in math, to meet each other, no matter where they come from. I met Gyuri Bcsi in a mathematical summer camp where he invited me to the next Nagy Kroly Students Meeting. In the following years, I took part in this program five times. Three times as a student and two times as a lecturer. When I graduated from secondary school, Gyuri Bcsi requested me to give a presentation the following year. It was a huge honor for me and Gyuri Bcsis general attitude toward his students was highly motivating, as well. I think this is the most impor-

21

tant thing for young math-candidates: to get motivation and, of course, knowledge from their teachers.
ABOUT THE MEETING

The venues are the Selye Jnos Secondary School and the Vocational School, both located in Komrno, Slovakia. The Nagy Kroly Students Meeting is a weekend-long conference with 90minute lectures about various topics in mathematics held in different sections. All in all, there are approximately 30-35 lectures during the weekend, but a student has the opportunity to take part only in six lectures. Lectures are often interactive: in some cases the teacher gives handouts to the members of the audience and assigns some tricky problems that will be discussed at the end of the lecture. Traditionally, on the day of arrival there is always a cultural evening organized by the hosts. The Nagy Kroly Mathematical Students meeting is a unique opportunity for most everyone. Although I am not a secondary school student anymore, every year I look forward to the Nagy Kroly Days very much.

OLYMPIAD TRAININGS
A successful participation in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is the consequence of very good preparation. Although I have never taken part in the IMO, I was a regular visitor of the trainings in Budapest and Pcs. In Budapest there is the central training center, and in the bigger cities there used to be the regional training centers. (Due to financial problems the Jnos Bolyai Mathematical Society suspended the regional trainings.) Surprisingly, I have more pleasant memories about the regional training in Pcs, which was held at the University of Pcs. The instructor was Jnos Ruff, an enthusiastic assistant professor of the University. We understood each other very well and, therefore, I really looked forward to the meetings with him. Once I was the only student who attended the training. Jnos asked the question: Do you know complex numbers? My answer was a short No. If no, then we dont have time to waste! and the following afternoon Jnoss lecture was an introduction to complex numbers. His explanations were so effective that in the following days I already could use this tool to solve an A-problem from the journal KMaL.

3. EXTENSIVE AND DEEP ACADEMIC CURRICULUM

To know is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge. (Socrates) In this section I will try to introduce how math education works at the Etvs Lornd University where I study. Nowadays, the Institute of Mathematics of the ELTE is a renowned workshop of higher mathematics with internationally recognized professors and research fellows. As it was mentioned earlier, the Institute of Mathematics has eight departments and 110 professional mathematicians who are teaching the next generation and doing research on the cutting edge in various topics. 22

Due to the financial structure of the education system in Hungary (which means the institution gets a determined grant per student from the state), many universities admit all of their applicants. At the Etvs Lornd University approximately 200-250 freshmen major in mathematics. When you apply you dont have to worry about your grades. Nearly everybody gets in. It is completely clear that 250 people cannot be taught it the same way. The ELTE has a striking solution for that. On the very first day at the university all freshmen have to take a test which measures their mathematical backgrounds. If you fail the test, you have to take an additional basic mathematics course that provides a revision of the secondary school curriculum. People who achieve 75% or more get an outstanding certificate. But the most important thing is that in the first year all (!) math courses are offered at three different levels (regular < advanced < intense). Those students who took part regularly in competitions and math programs are supposed to choose the intense level, but this is not mandatory. At the end of the first academic year everyone has to choose one of the four specializations (Mathematical Analyst, Mathematics Teacher, Applied Mathematics, and Pure Mathematics). Instead of highlighting the differences between the U. S. and the Hungarian higher education system (there are too many to list here, and my knowledge in the topic is not enough to do it), I would like to summarize the courses of Mathematics BSc Pure Mathematics major, which is an undergraduate-level curriculum. However, I have to tell some differences anyway. In the table below you may notice that there are only six columns. Instead of four years, the undergraduate programs in Hungary are generally three-years long, but most graduate programs need at least two years to complete. As you can see the curriculum is enormous and often it is not easy to keep up with it.

SAMPLE CURRICULUM
1. Elementary Mathematics Analysis 1 Algebra 1 Number Theory 1 Finite Mathematics 1 Introduction to Information Technology Writing Mathematical Papers Finite Mathematics 2 Introduction to Computer Programming 2. Geometry 1 Analysis 2 Algebra 2 3. Geometry 2 Analysis 3 Algebra 3 Computer Algebra Systems Operations Research 1 Programming Language (JAVA, C++) Introduction to Topology Probability Theory 1 Set Theory Based on the official curriculum.68 LEGEND: compulsory; compulsory elective; 23 elective, but recommended. 4. Geometry 3 Analysis 4 Algebra 3 Number Theory 2 Operations Research 2 Programming Language (JAVA, C++) Algebraic Topology Probability Theory 2 5. Differential Geometry 1 Functional Analysis 1 Complex Analysis Complex Analysis (Extension) Differential Equations Numerical Analysis 6. Differential Geometry 2 Functional Analysis 2 Function Series

Partial Differential Equations Computer Science FourierIntegral Statistics Mathematical Logic

4. A VERY STRONG COMMUNITY

...A community needs a soul if it is to become a true home for human beings. You, the people must git it this soul. (Pope John Paul II) Studying mathematics means not only theory and beautiful thoughts, but it has also meant friendships and lifelong experiences for me. Hungary (and even the world) is small enough, that I can say: there is only one big community in mathematics. Although there are some separate islands, the collaborative distance between them is probably less than we think. Thanks to the many math camps and weekends that I participated in, I already knew almost the entire class when I entered university. My friends were there, my former roommate in a camp was there, and everyone [I met at camp] was there. During the Nagy Kroly Students Meetings I made friends from the neighboring countries, too. Since I started my studies at Beloit College I have continued to meet many people mathematicians and non-mathematicians, alike. This is what really counts: making friendships through mathematics, a subject of study that does not know borders or distance.

NOTES
Partly based on the following: KOLLEGA TARSOLY ISTVN (ed. in chief): Magyarorszg a XX. szzadban I-V. IV. ktet (Mszaki s termszettudomnyok). (http://mek.niif.hu/02100/02185/html/613.html) 27 KENYERES GNES (editor): Magyar letrajzi Lexikon 1000 -1990. (Rtz Lszl), Magyar Elektronikus Knyvtr. (http://mek.oszk.hu/00300/00355/html/ABC12527/12777.htm) 28 LSZL KOVCS: Hungarian Traditions in Talent Support. (http://talentday.eu/content/hungarian-traditions-talent-support) 29 NORMAN MACRAE: John Von Neumann: The Scientific Genius Who Pioneered the Modern Computer, Game Theory, Nuclear Deterrence, and Much More. AMS Bookstore, 2000; p. 69. 30 KENYERES GNES (editor): Magyar letrajzi Lexikon 1000 -1990. (Krschk Jzsef), Magyar Elektronikus Knyvtr. (http://mek.niif.hu/00300/00355/html/ABC07165/08989.htm) 31 R. PETER: 200 years of teaching mathematics at the Technical University of Budapest. Internat. J. Math. Ed. Sci. Tech. 25 (6) (1994), 805-809. 32 JNOS SURNYI: A 100-adik Krschk Jzsef Matematikai Tanulverseny. Matematika Oktatsi Portl, 2004. (http://matek.fazekas.hu/portal/feladatbank/adatbazis/Kurschak_Jozsef_verseny.html) 33 KENYERES GNES (editor): Magyar letrajzi Lexikon 1000 -1990. (Rtz Lszl), Magyar Elektronikus Knyvtr. (http://mek.niif.hu/00300/00355/html/ABC03975/04236.htm) 34 GYRGY PLYA: Leopold Fejr. J. London Math. Soc. 36 (1961), p. 501-506 35 Lipt Fejr Biography. MacTutor History of Mathematics, 2010. (http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Fejer.html) 36 Lipt Fejr Mathematics Competition. in: MIHLY CSORDS, TIBOR NAGY (editors): Cserepek a magyarorszgi matematikai tehetsggondoz mhelyekbl. Bolyai Jnos Matematikai Trsulat, Budapest, 2010; p. 9293. 37 GYRGY PLYA: How to Solve It: A New Aspect of Mathematical Method. Princeton University Press, 1945. 38 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_P%C3%B3lya 39 Princeton University Bookstore, web shop (http://press.princeton.edu/titles/669.html) 40 1. Understanding the Problem; 2. Making a plan; 3. Carrying out the plan; 4. Looking back our work. (From the book How to Solve it). 41 GYRGY PLYA, GBOR SZEG: Problems and Theorems in Analysis I-II, Springer, 1976. (http://www.springer.com/series/3838) 42 LSZL LOVSZ: Combinatioial Problems and Exercises . Elsevier, 1993.
26

24

Wikipedia article on Tams Varga. (http://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varga_Tam%C3%A1s_%28tan%C3%A1r%29) 44 Matematika/Mdszertani alapelvek. Tantk a Hln, 2008. (http://alsos.fazekas.hu/wiki/Matematika/M%C3%B3dszertani_alapelvek) 45 W. SERVAIS, T. VARGA (editors): Teaching School Mathematics. Penguin Books UNESCO, 1971. 46 G. KOLATA: Paul Erdos, a Math Wayfarer at Field's Pinnacle, Dies at 83 . New York Times, Sep. 24, 1996. 47 Bruce Schechter, in My Brain Is Open : The Mathematical Journeys of Paul Erdos (1998), p. 14 48 Publications of Paul Erds. The Erds Number Project. (http://www.oakland.edu/enp/pubinfo/) 49 The Erds Number Project. (http://www.oakland.edu/enp/) 50 Wikipedia article on the Erds number (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erd%C5%91s_number) 51 The Erds Number Project. (http://www.oakland.edu/enp/) 52 Collaboration Distance (http://www.ams.org/mathscinet/collaborationDistance.html) 53 Erds Pl Matematikai Tehetsggondoz Iskola ( http://www.mik.vein.hu/erdosprog/index1.html) 54 Specilis matematika tagozatos iskolk s tanraik. Matematika Oktatsi Portl (http://matek.fazekas.hu/portal/rolunk/spectanarok.html) 55 NAGY GYULA: Tudomnyok kataliztora, a KMaL. in: Magyar Tudomny, 2003/11, p. 1455. (http://www.matud.iif.hu/03nov/016.html) 56 KMaL Contest descriptions (http://www.komal.hu/verseny/verseny.e.shtml) 57 KMaL Photo Archives (http://www.komal.hu/tablok/) 58 MIHLY CSORDS, TIBOR NAGY (editors): Cserepek a magyarorszgi matematikai tehetsggondoz mhelyekbl . Bolyai Jnos Matematikai Trsulat, Budapest, 2010 (http://www.mategye.hu/download/cserepek/cserepek.pdf) 59 Summary about the history of the competition and the collection of the posed problems. (http://www.batmath.it/matematica/raccolte_es/ek_competitions/ek_competitions.pdf) 60 BRA ESZTER: Ismeretlen ismersnk: Arany Dniel. In: Termszet Vilga, 2009/10. (http://matek.fazekas.hu/portal/kutatomunkak/Bora_Eszter/AD_ismeretlenismeros.pdf) 61 The OKTV on the Wikipedia (http://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orsz%C3%A1gos_k%C3%B6z%C3%A9piskolai_tanulm%C3%A1nyi_verseny) 62 Mathematical Kangaroo on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematical_Kangaroo) 63 Homepage of Erds Pl School for Mathematical Talents (http://www.mik.vein.hu/erdosprog/index1.html) 64 University of Pannonia (http://englishweb.uni-pannon.hu/) 65 ROSS HONSBERGER: The Story of Louis Psa. University of Waterloo (http://www.math.uwaterloo.ca/navigation/ideas/articles/honsberger/index.shtml) 66 Weisstein, Eric W. "Psa's Theorem." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource. (http://mathworld.wolfram.com/PosasTheorem.html) 67 Lajos Psa on Wikipedia (http://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%B3sa_Lajos_%28matematikus%29) 68 ELTE Mathematics BSc. Curriculums of the specializations. (http://www.cs.elte.hu/~ewkiss/ujbsc/ujhonlap/BSc_Mat_halo_2010.html)
43

25

CHALLENGES TODAY
Remember, the storm is a good opportunity for the pine and the cypress to show their strength and their stability. (Ho Chi Minh) In the last section of my paper I would like to achieve two aims. My first objective is to highlight the main problems of the mathematical education in Hungary today. Secondly, I would like to summarize my impressions about the education system of the USA and compare them with my Hungarian experiences. In my opinion, both systems have advantages and disadvantages.

PROBLEMS TO SOLVE
In the introduction I mentioned the results of the PISA survey. In 2009, Hungary finished twentyninth out of 65 countries in the field of mathematics, which is not a performance to be proud of. This small country, which gave so many scientists to the world, performed modestly. Although we have a world-class talent-nurturing system, especially in mathematics, there are only a few workshops offered. Unfortunately, most secondary schools are falling behind. Although the teaching methods of Tams Varga, recognized world-wide are part of the National Core Curriculum, only a few hundred teachers actually follow them.69 Theoretical knowledge is emphasized instead of creativity. Therefore, secondary school graduates have many algebraic tools in their hands but, in a new situation, they wont be able to use their knowledge. In the most cases there is not enough time to deal with problems from everyday life. The less talented students lose the thread and will carry bad memories from math classes. These people might later get into high governmental positions and make decisions about funding science and education. The bad experiences with mathematics could be detrimental. According to one of my professors at the university, we have to face similar problems. When a mathematician graduates from the ELTE he/she is familiar with many branches of mathematics and knows lots of theories, however, he/she is unable to solve a simple operations research problem. Another problem is the shrinking number of teachers (especially science teachers). In my opinion, one of the main reasons for this shrinkage is that teachers are seriously underpaid. An average secondary school teacher with twenty years teaching experience earns about $10,000 per year.70 Most young people, who are interested in mathematics, choose specialization applied math and after graduation they might find a job in the financial sector or at a computer science company. Fortunately, there are some exceptions; some teachers still work enthusiastically 10-12 hours a day (for free) to share their knowledge with pupils and to nurture talents, but no one is able to do it for a whole life. Those secondary school teachers who are active now are getting older and you cant see who will be the next generation of teachers. This is a very serious problem to solve in the Hungarian education system. Many university professors and secondary school teachers have been complaining about the Bologna process in higher education (the renowned mathematician Mikls Laczkovich wrote a tough criticism about the system71), which roughly means that the education is split into two parts: three years in undergraduate education and two years in a graduate school. Today in Hungary a Bachelors Degree in teaching is virtually worthless; therefore, teacher candidates have to go to a graduate school 26

anyway. Then why is the education process split? A lot of people think that a well-structured five year program for teachers would produce much better results.

USA AND HUNGARY: A SHORT COMPARISON

There are so many differences between the two systems in higher education, that the title of this section A Short Comparison sounds paradoxical. However, I will try to sum up my experiences (which reflect the viewpoint of a math student from Hungary). I can easily imagine that other people see things differently. The very first and maybe the biggest difference is that in Hungary most universities are owned by the state and the first degree is free for all (of course your grades have to be high enough to get into a university). More precisely, the tuition fee for twelve semesters is financed by the state (six semesters in undergraduate school, four semesters in graduate school and you get two extra semesters, too). Compared to the American education system this seems to be very comfortable from the students viewpoint. Parents do not have to pay thousands of dollars annually to send their children to the university. However, most institutions are struggling with very serious financial problems (even the Etvs Lornd University which is a top-ranked university in Hungary) and, according to my experiences, the circumstances at an American university are generally much better than at a Hungarian one. In addition, Hungarian university professors are underpaid. On the other hand, I remember my first days at Beloit College. I was flabbergasted by the venues of education. The Colleges sports center is bigger than the municipal gymnasium in my hometown, Pcs (which is a quite large city in Hungary with its 160,000 inhabitants). And the Center of Sciences at Beloit is simply amazing. In my opinion, sooner or later the Hungarian government will have to introduce a moderate tuition fee with a fair grant and scholarship system to keep the high quality in education and to avoid financial bankruptcy of the institutions. Secondly, in Hungary (and in the most European countries) everyone has to declare their major before applying to university. Even in their freshman year students have to take courses mainly from their chosen field of interest. Actually, if you are a math major, you have the opportunity to take, for example, history classes if you are interested in history, but the mandatory courses are so demanding that you simply do not have enough time to deal with other topics. Compared to a liberal arts school (e. g. Beloit College), which provides a broad education, the curriculum at Hungarian universities is greatly/intensely focused. An average student at the Etvs Lornd University has many more courses per semester (recall the chart on page 10), than someone who studies at Beloit College. In addition, we (people who are specialized in pure mathematics) deal with topics even in the first semester, which are regarded as graduate level topics in the United States.

WHAT WE COULD LEARN

Introduce moderate tuition fee with a fair grant and scholarship system Lower student/faculty ratio Create/nurture closer professor-student relationships Improve our professional look (compare the homepages of the American Mathematical Society (AMS)72 and the Jnos Bolyai Mathematical Society.73 There is a world of difference.) 27

WHAT THE US COULD LEARN

Unfortunately, I am not an expert on mathematical education in the United States. Therefore, I personally do not know what Americans could learn from the Hungarian educational system. I know that young people who are interested in math have various opportunities here. The homepage of AMS has a whole section dedicated to high school students and teachers. Among the subsections I could see Summer Programs, Mathematics Help, Local Math Clubs and Events, Math Competitions, etc.

CONCLUSION
The Hungarian (math) education, especially its talent nurturing aspect, has long and great traditions that resulted in the education of many renowned scientists in this small country in Central Europe over centuries. Today the gifted students still have many opportunities, but we also have to face several problems. The future of the system is in the hands of our political leaders, and I cant agree more with the quotation below, which, I think, applies both to the American and to the Hungarian approach: Education reform should focus on getting children out of poverty, not finding the bad teachers. (Dianne Ravitch)74

NOTES
Matematika/Mdszertani alapelvek. Tantk a Hln, 2008. (http://alsos.fazekas.hu/wiki/Matematika/M%C3%B3dszertani_alapelvek) 70 Kzalkalmazotti brtbla. TUDOSZ (http://www.tudosz.hu/2010_bertabla.html) 71 MIKLS LACZKOVICH: Bologna and the Teachers Education. (http://bolyai.cs.elte.hu/~laczk/bol.pdf) 72 http://www.ams.org/home/page 73 http://www.bolyai.hu/en/index.html 74 from: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Guest: Dianne Ravitch; Comedy Central; March 3, 2011 (http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-march-3-2011/diane-ravitch)
69

28

PICTURE GALLERY

F IGURE 17: Ferenc Pintr, director of the Erds Pl School is opening the new school year . Next to him is Orsolya Ujvri, secretary of the institution. (2005)

F IGURE 18: Vera Lnyi while teaching ( Erds Pl School , 2011)

29

F IGURE 19: Antal Kubatov talks to me i n class (Erds Pl School, 2006)

F IGURE 20: Ferenc Csorba. He can draw perfect circles by hand (Erds Pl School, 2005 )

30

F IGURE 21: Jzsef Szoldatics and Vera Lnyi while verifying the students solutions for the posed problems (Erds Pl School, 2005 )

F IGURE 22: Gza Kiss has just started his lecture (Erds Pl School, 2009)

31

F IGURE 23: Me and my very good friend Jnos Wolosz focusing on class ( Erds Pl School, 2006)

F IGURE 24: Gyrgy Marczis giving his l ecture ( Erds Pl School, 2006)

32

FIGURES 2530: TYPICAL PHOTOS OF LAJOS PSA IN THE COMPANY OF HIS STUDENTS.

F IGURE 25

F IGURE 26

33

F IGURE 27

F IGURE 28

34

F IGURE 29

F IGURE 30

35

THE NAGY KROLY MATHEMATICAL STUDENTS MEETING

F IGURE 31: Vera Lnyi while giving a talk

F IGURE 32: Me and Dvid Nagy , a friend from Kaposvr. Behind us there is Zoltn Veszelka and Pter Barabs (from left to right), also very good friends from my former secondary school. (2008)

36

F IGURE 33: I am giving a presentation on Fractals on the XX. Students Meeting in 2010. Right at the moment I am explaining something about Peanos Curve.

SOURCES OF FIGURES
All sources accessed March 8, 2011 Figure 1: http://www.abelprisen.no/en/prisvinnere/2005/images/peter_lax.jpg .................................... 4 Figure 2: http://www.keneditravel.hu/kepek/336/pannonhalma2.jpg .......................................................... 6 Figure 3: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/hu/6/6e/PTE_cimer_kicsi.jpg ...................................... 6 Figure 4: http://www.kutatokejszakaja.hu/2010/data/userfiles/image/ELTE_logo.jpg......................... 7 Figure 5: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/ELTE%2C_L%C3%A1gym%C3%A1nyosi_Campus.jpg...... 7 Figure 6: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Maria_Theresia11.jpg ................... 8 Figure 7: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Barabas-eotvos.jpg ........................ 8 Figure 8: http://www.kkmk.hu/onszolg/eletrajz/kepek/nagy/ratzlaszlo.jpg........................................... 12 Figure 9: http://www.omikk.bme.hu/archivum/angol/kepek/kurschak_jozsef.jpg ............................... 13 Figure 10: http://members.iif.hu/visontay/ponticulus/images/szemelyek/fejer_lipot2.jpg .............. 13 Figure 11: GERALD R. ALEXANDERSON: Random Walks of George Plya. MAA, 2000 ...................................... 14 Figure 12: http://mathdid.elte.hu/pic/vtcikk/vt.jpg ............................................................................................. 15 Figure 13: http://www.wolffund.org.il/admin/user_files/paul_erdos.jpg ................................................... 16 Figure 14: http://www.ams.org/mathscinet/collaborationDistance.html ................................................... 16 Figure 15: http://komal.elte.hu/lap/2006-03/cimlap.jpg ................................................................................... 18 Figure 16: http://universitas.uni-pannon.hu/index.php?option=com_docman&Itemid=53 ................ 19 Figure 17: Archive of the Erds Pl School (http://www.mik.vein.hu/erdosprog/index1.html) ....... 29 37

Figure 18: Archive of the Erds Pl School ................................................................................................................. 29 Figure 19: Archive of the Erds Pl School ................................................................................................................. 30 Figure 20: Archive of the Erds Pl School ................................................................................................................. 30 Figure 21: Archive of the Erds Pl School ................................................................................................................. 31 Figure 22: Archive of the Erds Pl School ................................................................................................................. 31 Figure 23: Archive of the Erds Pl School ................................................................................................................. 32 Figure 24: Archive of the Erds Pl School ................................................................................................................. 32 Figure 25: Collection of Lajos Psa ................................................................................................................................. 33 Figure 26: Collection of Lajos Psa ................................................................................................................................. 33 Figure 27: Collection of Lajos Psa ................................................................................................................................. 34 Figure 28: Collection of Lajos Psa ................................................................................................................................. 34 Figure 29: Collection of Lajos Psa ................................................................................................................................. 35 Figure 30: Collection of Lajos Psa ................................................................................................................................. 35 Figure 31: Collection of Gyrgy Marczis ....................................................................................................................... 36 Figure 32: Collection of Gyrgy Marczis ....................................................................................................................... 36 Figure 33: Collection of Gyrgy Marczis ....................................................................................................................... 37 Kristof Huszar, Pure Mathematics BSc Etvs Lornd University, Budapest, Hungary email: huszar.kristof@gmail.com March 10, 2011 Beloit, WI, The United States

38