WASHINGTON, May 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today 325 participants of the 2013 Raytheon MATHCOUNTS® National Competition successfully set a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® title: Fastest Time to Construct the First 25 Rows of Pascal's Triangle (Human Formation).

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130510/NE12188 )

The 244 Mathletes® were joined by 61 coaches and 20 advisors to arrange themselves in order of the first 25 rows of Pascal's Triangle in a record-setting 6 minutes, 16 seconds (6:16.57). An adjudicator from GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS was in attendance and immediately verified the Record Attempt.

"It was very rewarding to see so many people with a passion for math come together to accomplish this," said Lou DiGioia, executive director of MATHCOUNTS. "These remarkable Mathletes have already inspired us with their success here at the National Competition, but by setting this record today, they're also sending the message that math achievement and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education should be priorities that we all have."

Pascal's Triangle is a famous triangular formation of numbers described in 1653 by French mathematician Blaise Pascal. Each number inside the triangle is the sum of the two numbers above it.

Pascal's Triangle is known for its collection of patterns that occur frequently in mathematics. MATHCOUNTS explains how Pascal's Triangle is used in everyday algebra and probability.

"Raytheon fully supports the Mathletes' creative approach to Pascal's Triangle to show the world the power of math. The application of Pascal's Triangle – a simple collection of patterns used in every day algebra and probability – is just one example of how math is all around us," said Pam Erickson, vice president of Community Relations at Raytheon Company.

Mathletes representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories and schools from the Departments of Defense and State descended on Washington, D.C., to compete at the Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition, having advanced through competitions involving some 100,000 students from more than 5,000 schools at the local and state level.

About MATHCOUNTS
MATHCOUNTS^® is a non-profit national math enrichment, coaching and competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement in every U.S. state and territory, and is one of the most successful education partnerships involving volunteers, educators, industry sponsors and students in America. MATHCOUNTS offers teachers, kids and parents free materials to encourage math enrichment and prepare students for a high-tech future that will require mathematics-related skills to achieve success. Materials and information are available at www.mathcounts.org.

About MathMovesU

Raytheon's MathMovesU^® program is an initiative committed to increasing middle and elementary school students' interest in math and science education by engaging them in hands-on, interactive activities. The innovative programs of MathMovesU include the traveling interactive experience MathAlive!™; Raytheon's Sum of all Thrills™ experience at INNOVENTIONS at Epcot^®, which showcases math in action as students design and experience their own thrill ride using math fundamentals; the "In the Numbers" game, a partnership with the New England Patriots on display at The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon; the company's ongoing sponsorship of the MATHCOUNTS^® National Competition; and the MathMovesU scholarship and grant program. Follow MathMovesU and other Raytheon community outreach programs on Facebook and on Twitter @MathMovesU.

About Raytheon

Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), with 2012 sales of $24 billion and 68,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, security and civil markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 91 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems; as well as a broad range of mission support services. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter @raytheon.

Media Contacts

 

Raytheon Company
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SOURCE Raytheon Company