The Peddie School is home to brilliant students, all adept at various subjects! However, some especially excel, as shown by Jerry Liu ’26 and Nancy Xue ’25, who both competed and succeeded in the American Mathematic Competition, known as AMC. The AMC consists of increasingly difficult tests designed to test talented high school mathematicians, setting the standard for the next generation of innovative scholars. There are over five rounds, from the preliminary AMC to the second round, AME, and then to the third, USAMO, and eventually to the final round, which determines the final team that represents the United States at the International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO).
Jerry Liu fondly recounted his dedication to mathematics, citing “abstract and free theorems through exploration-based study” as his passion. He began competing in mathematics competitions in 7th grade when he joined the Mathcounts club in his middle school. It is through this club that he learned about the AMC. In preparation for the exam, Jerry self-studied significantly, learning how to improve himself. While competing in the exam itself, he especially enjoyed the act of solving the problems, stating that they were “pretty tedious,” especially due to the amount of time each problem required. In fact, the USAMO round consists of six questions and over nine hours provided to complete it! However, Jerry proved his prowess in this round, scoring a flawless 150! Currently, Jerry is taking Linear Algebra as a sophomore and plans to apply to Princeton’s math program as a junior, having already visited it for orientation.
Nancy described her love for mathematics, saying that Abstract Algebra was her favorite because she loves “proof-oriented problems, which can let [her] think deeper into the complexity of math that seems simple on the surface.” She initially became interested in mathematics at a young age when her father encouraged her to practice elementary Olympiad math in fourth grade. She continued to develop this interest, eventually leading her to compete in the highly competitive AMC. To prepare, Nancy self-studied numerous books from the Art of Problem Solving and practiced all the past exams in the last ten years, proving her absolute grit and inspiring dedication. She also went to an intensive AMC preparation camp last summer, as well as gained guidance from an instructor to further her knowledge. When questioned about why she chose to pursue the Math Olympiad, she recalled her love for math and willingness to devote time to it. Furthermore, she mentioned how she “wanted to achieve more in the math field and set goals to motivate [herself],” exhibiting Peddie’s core values at its finest! Nancy did exceptionally well, having reached AIME and being only two points away from reaching USAMO. Currently, Nancy is taking Multi-Variable Calculus and AP Statistics and plans to take Linear Algebra next year.
Through their hard work and dedication, Jerry and Nancy proved their mathematical strength, representing the school in its glory.