Prime Factor Math Circle and School of Programming

More than just knowledge. We teach students to think better.

Prime Factor's original math and computer science courses go far beyond the standard school curriculum. Students develop skills for life—logical reasoning, creativity, and perseverance—that prepare them for advanced study and whatever challenges come next.

Enrollment for Fall 2026 is now open. Try Prime Factor risk-free with our flexible enrollment policy.

Math Arena: A Competition of Strategy, Attack, and Problem Solving
One of the highlights of the week was Math Arena, an individual problem-solving competition that combines mathematics, strategy, and a little suspense.
Every player starts in the Market Square. As students solve problems, they can use their correct solutions in different ways: attack another player, defend themselves from an attack, or heal after being injured.
There are three stages in the game: Market Square, Hospital, and Intensive Care. The goal is simple: be the last player standing in the Market Square.
Our game had a lot of action and a lot of strategy. Players attacked one another, defended themselves, and worked hard to recover from the Hospital and Intensive Care Unit. By the end of the game, most of the players had successfully made their way back to the Market Square.
The best part of Math Arena is that every correct solution matters. Students constantly make decisions: Should I attack? Save my solution for defense? Heal myself? Success depends not only on solving problems but also on choosing the right strategy.
It was a fun way to begin the week and set the tone for the mathematical challenges that followed.

Can You Do Better?
Math Auction: A Different Kind of Contest
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Can you express the number 569 using only identical one-digit numbers, the four arithmetic operations (+,−,×,÷), and parentheses? (You may not combine digits into multi-digit numbers.)
Here's one solution using eight 8s:
8(8+8×8−8−888)=569.
Can you find a solution that uses fewer 8s?

This is an example of a Math Auction Problem.
Auction problems are different from ordinary math problems. Instead of having a single correct answer, they often have many solutions. Some are easier to find but earn only a small reward. Others require deeper thinking and are worth much more.
In a Math Auction, teams bid for the right to present their solution. The winning team explains its solution and receives the prize money—unless another team announces that it has found a better solution. Then the problem goes back to auction, and the bidding begins again.
As a result, the competition is about much more than solving problems. Teams have to decide how good their solution really is. Is it worth bidding now? Should they wait and keep looking for a better idea? Can they bluff another team into paying too much for the right to present?
Our students quickly discovered that a successful Math Auction requires mathematical creativity, teamwork, and good strategy. This was the first Math Auction for many of the students, and it quickly became one of the highlights of the week.

Two Weeks of Python
Our two-week Python course gave students plenty of opportunities to practice programming through problem solving.
Instead of simply learning Python syntax, students worked on a steady stream of programming challenges that encouraged them to think, experiment, and improve their solutions. By the end of the course, they had written dozens of programs and became much more confident using Python to solve problems.
Our instructor Ioulia did an excellent job leading the course, creating a welcoming atmosphere while keeping everyone challenged and engaged.
One of the students came to the class with previous Python experience. Rather than repeating material he already knew, Ioulia prepared a separate set of more challenging programming problems for him. This flexibility allowed every student to work at an appropriate level and continue making progress.
It was wonderful to watch the students grow over the course of two weeks.

A Week of Patterns, Problems, and Proofs
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This summer we held our first Patterns, Problems, and Proofs: The Art of Mathematical Reasoning, a week-long program for students entering grades 7–9.
Instead of focusing on advanced school topics, the program gave students a chance to experience mathematics the way mathematicians do—looking for patterns, asking questions, making conjectures, and proving why they are true.
During the week we explored countable and uncountable sets, random walks, modular arithmetic, combinatorics, geometry, and mathematical proofs. Students spent most of their time solving problems, discussing ideas, and presenting their solutions.
We were especially fortunate to have a wonderful group of students. They were curious, motivated, and eager to tackle difficult problems. Just as importantly, they enjoyed learning and spending time together.
Of course, there was plenty of fun as well. We played Math Arena, held a Math Auction, and enjoyed games like Black Box and Code Names.
This was our first time offering the program, and we're already looking forward to next summer. Over the next few posts, we'll share some of the mathematical ideas and activities from the week.

This summer we tried something new.

For the first time, we paired Logic Land for grades 2–3 (our mathematics program for younger students) with Castles and Crystals, a humanities program built around history, myths, storytelling, and hands-on activities. We weren't entirely sure how the combination would work—but it turned out to be a wonderful match.

In Logic Land, students tackled mathematical puzzles, searched for patterns, built bridges from straws, experimented, and learned that mathematics is not about memorizing formulas but about thinking, testing ideas, and working together.

In Castles and Crystals, they explored Ancient Egypt, discovered myths and legends, learned a few magic tricks, and experienced history through stories and games rather than textbooks.

Here are a few moments from the week: testing straw bridges and playing Jotto in Logic Land, and practicing magic tricks in Castles and Crystals.

Prime Factor at SigmaWest

This summer, Prime Factor instructors spent a week teaching at SigmaWest, a wonderful residential STEM camp in California.

We taught a course on Data Science and Neural Networks, gave several lectures, and ran workshops. It was a pleasure to work with students who were excited to learn, asked great questions, and were ready to dive into topics well beyond a typical school curriculum.

SigmaWest is a very special place. It is not a commercial camp—it is really a product of love and enthusiasm. The people who create it are scientists, engineers, university professors, graduate students, and professionals from industry who are passionate about both science and teaching. That spirit is everywhere. Students spend the week surrounded by people who genuinely enjoy sharing what they know.

The program includes an amazing variety of classes and labs in mathematics, computer science, biology, chemistry, physics, electronics, and engineering. In the photos below you can see an optics class, biology and electronics labs, students working together on challenging problems, and our Data Science class.

If your child enjoys asking questions, experimenting, and learning how things really work, SigmaWest is definitely worth looking into. The camp will be back in California next summer, and we hope to be there again.

Looking for summer camps that are fun and actually teach something?

Join Prime Factor’s math, coding, and STEM programs for students who enjoy solving problems and exploring new ideas.
For over 15 years, we have worked with students who love intellectual adventure.

If your child enjoys asking questions and tackling new challenges, Prime Factor is built for students just like them.

Learn more and register at https://www.pfmathcircle.org/SummerPrograms.html

UW Math Olympiad is a once-a-year, truly unique math competition: an oral olympiad featuring proof-based problems, where students present their solutions to judges and discuss their mathematical reasoning.

This year, the UW Math Olympiad took place on Sunday, June 7th. For three hours, students were thinking, solving problems, explaining and defending their solutions, returning to their seats, and coming back with new attempts. The contest was followed by a solutions presentation and an awards ceremony.

Such a competition is not easy to organize. The Olympiad Committee began meeting in February. There is much to do: collecting problems, selecting problems, and assembling the problem sets (we need two sets—one for grades 6–7 and one for grades 8–10—with seven problems each). And then there is logistics—a lot of logistics.

For more than 200 students, nearly 100 judges are needed, along with proctors, registration volunteers, room coordinators, and many other helpers. Organizing the UW Math Olympiad truly takes a village. However, students who participate gain a very special experience that is difficult to find elsewhere.

This year, two satellite Olympiads were also held, one in New York and one in San Francisco.

Attached are screenshots of some of the problems. For more, and for the archive of the past problems, you can go to the Olympaid site.

Linguistic Odyssey: Solve Puzzles, Explore Languages, Win a Free Camp Spot!
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What do languages, puzzles, codes, and logic have in common?

They all come together in Linguistic Odyssey, a unique summer program for curious teens.

Most students never encounter linguistics in school, yet it is a fascinating field that combines pattern recognition, logical reasoning, history, mathematics, and computer science.

Students will:

• Solve language puzzles inspired by NACLO (North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad)
• Learn how linguists decode unfamiliar languages
• Explore language families and language change over time
• Discover how researchers reconstruct languages spoken centuries ago
• See connections between language, logic, mathematics, and computer science

No prior linguistics experience or foreign language study is required.

🎁 Special Summer Giveaway: Register by June 29 for a chance to receive a full tuition refund. One enrolled student will be selected at random.

📅 July 6-10
🕙 10:00 AM–1:00 PM
📍 Redmond
👥 Grades 8–10 (motivated younger students will be considered)

Instructor: Robyn Abakumov, Prime Factor instructor and long-time linguistics enthusiast.

Perfect for students who enjoy puzzles, patterns, mathematics, programming, and discovering how complex systems work.