Robotics Competitions as Problem Solving Tournaments

After spending the last 4 days at the Central and Eastern European Schools Association high school math competition in Prague, it struck me how difficult it was to design a math tournament where students’ math abilities were on display for all to see. Mathematical problem solving is by its nature a personal endeavor and spectators without a background in mathematics struggle to appreciate elegant solutions in the same manner as they might appreciate a dunk shot in basketball. Students involved in robotics tournaments, like the FIRST Tech Challenge, demonstrate their math skills in a manner visible to both mathematicians and non-mathematicians.