Face Off is a mathematics quiz show with questions from the broad realm of mathematics.  Anyone who has taken or is enrolled in Calculus I is eligible to join a Face Off team.  Teams of 2-4 students representing their schools compete to answer these questions.

Follow this link for a flier you can post in your mathematics department (you need Adobe reader). 

News:  In May, 2008, we purchased a terrific combination buzzer/scoring system from Slammer Systems.  No more questions about which team rings in first!  We appreciate the support from the UW-Oshkosh Mathematics Department.

Format

Like a lot of game shows, Face Off is played in three rounds:

• First Face Off Round
  4 categories each contain 4 questions worth 10 to 40 points apiece

• Two-Faced Round
  4 questions in each of 4 categories again, but point values are doubled

• Final Face Off
  Every team gets one final chance to earn points by solving a longer problem.

Rules

Each team gets a sign with the face of a mathematician.  For example, your team could play as Descartes, Gauss, Hilbert, Noether, or Newton.  Games are played like this.

• A team holds up their sign to answer a question.

• Answers must be given within 5 seconds.

• Teams gain or lose points depending on whether their answer is correct.

• Answers must be exact and simplified.

• The judge's decision is final.

• Teams can use a calculator, paper, and pencil.

Sample Board

Face Off comes complete with computer animation, a game board, and a theme song composed by Dr. Grady Bullington. 

The image below shows categories for a board we used in a previous game. 
Harder questions are worth more points.

Sample Questions

Questions come from the broad realm of mathematics.  And we mean “broad”!
Here's some of the questions we used with the game board above.

The Off Limits category contained the following questions.

20 pts.  What is  lim _{x→ π/2} ( sin x) / x ?

40 pts.  What is lim _{x→ 2}  (x - 3) / (x - 2) ?

60 pts.  What is lim _{x→ 0} |x| / x ?

80 pts.  What is lim _{x→ 1} ( 2^x - 2 ) / ( x - 1 ) ?

The Take a Number category contained the following questions.

20 pts.  How many pips are on a standard die?

40 pts. What prime number is both the sum of two primes and the difference of two primes?

60 pts. What two-digit number has a cube root equal to the square root of the sum of its digits?

80 pts. What is the smallest non-palindromic number whose square is a palindrome?

Upcoming Shows  

Past Shows

Face Off Organizers

Please contact Dr. Ken Price (pricek at uwosh.edu) or Dr. Steve Szydlik (szydliks at uwosh.edu) for more information.  If a school doesn't have enough interested students, contact the organizers anyway - we can combine interested students to from hybrid teams.  Space will be limited, so form a team soon and let us know of your interest!

We are always interested in expanding our program.  Let us know if you are interested in having a show at your school.

Mathematics Department
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Oshkosh, WI 54901-8631
(920) 424-1333
Fax: (920)424-7317