Volunteer Opportunity - We are looking for our Gazette! 6 December 2022

We are looking for a Gazette Problem Corner Editor

Nick Lord, who has edited the Problem Corner of The Mathematical Gazette since 2003, has decided to retire in July 2023 after twenty years of service. We are now looking for a volunteer who is willing to take over the role.

The Corner usually occupies between five and seven pages, coming immediately before the Student Problem Corner and the Reviews section of the journal.

Each PC consists of four problems, submitted by readers of the journal, to which full-written solutions are invited. A list of successful solvers, together with details of their methods and a discussion of possible consequences, is then provided.

A book, 25 Years of Mathematical Gazette Problem Corner, which celebrates the history of PC, is available via the MA website.

Nick is willing to provide induction training for a future incumbent. He has built up a bank of problems which will suffice for the next couple of years, so there will be no immediate need to worry about a lack of material.

Nick writes-

There is a steady influx of e-mails with solutions and ideas for problems. These come from all over the world from a wide variety of backgrounds. The former just need a short acknowledgement of receipt; the latter may involve rejecting unsuitable problems (or redirecting them to the Student Problem Corner), or agreeing an edited final version with the proposer. The most intense activity comes just after the three Problem Corner deadlines. This involves looking through all the solutions submitted and writing-up the solution to each of the four problems. It is rare that a solution can be used without some editing, and frequently ideas from several solvers combine to make a fuller account of a problem. I currently produce handwritten copy that the Production Editor converts into printed text for the Gazette, but it would be just as feasible for the new Editor to produce their own text. Each Problem Corner takes about three days of solid work. Once a year, I also decide on the selection of problems for the next year of Gazettes: this way, I can achieve a balance between themes, even though problems are then not published in strict order of receipt. Many respondents to Problem Corner have been active over many years and they are invariably kind, positive and wholly supportive.

If you feel you have the skills and are interested in taking on editing the Problem Corner in the Mathematical Gazette, please contact the editor, Gerry Leversha.