Westmont College will host its 21st annual mathematics contest for high schools students Saturday. Participating this year will be Bishop Diego High, Cabrillo High of Lompoc, Cate School, Dos Pueblos High, Santa Barbara Family Schools, Oaks Christian High of Thousand Oaks, Olive Grove Charter School in Los Olivos, San Marcos High, Santa Barbara Family Schools, Santa Barbara High and Thacher School.

The contest begins at 1 p.m. with chalk talks, written exams and a fast-paced team competition with buzzers modeled after the once-popular College Bowl TV show. Finals will get under way at 4 p.m. Dinner and an awards ceremony will be at 5:20 p.m. in the Kerr Student Center.

The contest also includes a Chalk Talk Derby in which students are required to communicate mathematical ideas. Each student will deliver a 10-minute talk on this year’s topic, “Fibonacci Numbers,” quantities that were first investigated by the Italian mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci in an attempt to model the population growth of rabbits. The topic was chosen because 21 is a Fibonacci number.

Click here for a contest itinerary, map, sample questions and photos from past events.