Swinburne Integration Bee (SwInBee)
An integration bee bee is a mathematical competition focused on integral calculus. After a qualifying round, competitors challenge each other at being the fastest and most accurate integrator, in the same vein as spelling bees. One of the most celebrated and popular integration bees in the world is that of Massachussets Institute of Technology. It was held for the first time in 1981.
SwInBee is run and managed by the Department of Mathematics and the Swinburne Mathematics Society and is open to all undergraduate students at Swinburne.
Can you evaluate integrals like these? $$\int \frac{7x-2}{(1+x)(1+x^2)} \; dx$$ $$\int \sin^7x \cos x \; dx$$ $$\int e^{-3x} \sin \frac{x}{2} \; dx$$ $$\int (\cos x \cosh x + \sin x \sinh x) \; dx$$
If yes, then SwInBee needs you!
The fifth iteration of SwInBee will be held during the teaching break on Wednesday, 11 September, 2024.
You can get a sense of what is involved by looking at the past questions and solutions below.
When and where
The fifth SwInBee will be held from 1:30pm-3:30pm on Wednesday, 11 September, 2024. The qualifying round starting at 1:30 will be held in EN615, with afternoon tea and the final rounds starting at 2:30 and taking place in EN612.
Registration
The deadline for registration for 2024 is Sunday, 8 September.
Complete the following form to register for SwInBee: form link.
Also feel free to email Dr Nathan Clisby (nclisby@swin.edu.au) if you would like further information.
Rules and Schedule
The qualifier round lasts 60 minutes and consists of a paper of 20 integrals of various difficulties. Partial work does not attract any mark. No books or calculators are allowed.
After the qualifier round, there will be a break for 30 minutes, with refreshments provided. The best 4 participants in the qualifier round will then go “head-to-head” on the whiteboard to decide who is the Champion Integrator!
Prizes
First Prize: Champion Integrator Title + $200
Second Prize: $150
Third Prize: $100
Fourth Prize: $50
SwInBee Hall of Fame
| Year | Winner | Runner up |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Chuong Ho | Reece Hodges |
| 2019 | Dang Nhat Minh Phan | Kurukula Arachchige Methsala Dilini Nanayakkara |
| 2022 | William Owen | Tabish Ali Rather |
| 2023 | Thanh An Nguyen | Minh Thu Nguyen |
| 2024 | Alex Herman | Minh An Nguyen |
SwInBee qualifying round integrals
| 2018 | Questions | Solutions |
| 2019 | Questions | Solutions |
| 2022 | Questions | Solutions |
| 2023 | Questions | Solutions |
| 2024 | Questions | Solutions |
Past SwInBees (including photos)
| SwInBee 2018 |
| SwInBee 2019 |
| SwInBee 2022 |
| SwInBee 2023 |
| SwInBee 2024 |
Sample tests from other bees
Please look at some sample tests from the MIT integration bee for an idea of what the competition involves (scroll down to the end of the page to find the questions/answers).
Further examples can also be found from the UNSW integration bee.
Finally, some material you can use for practice, but no solutions are available, can be found here
miscellaneous, p1 | miscellaneous, p2
Maths events
The maths departments holds various events including Mathstory, the Simon Marais Mathematics Competition, AMSI vacation research scholarships, and the Archimedes lecture. To find out more about these other events please join the “Swinburne Maths Events” Canvas shell by clicking on the following link.
Simon Marais Competition
In October each year there's an opportunity to participate in another competition, the Simon Marais Mathematics Competition.
For more details visit: http://www.simonmarais.org/
Contact Nathan (details above) if you'd like to give it a go, or just want to learn more.