This book will be of interest to anyone of any age who likes good problems. Pre-calculus background is presumed.
Over the years perhaps the most popular of the MAA problem books have been the high school contest books, covering the yearly American High School Mathematics Examinations (AHSME) that began in 1950, co-sponsored from the start by the MAA. Book V also includes the first six years of the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME) which was developed as an intermediate step between the AHSME and the USA Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO). The AIME has a unique answer format — all answers are integers between 0 and 999. The editors of this volume, George Berzsenyi and Stephen B. Maurer, were respectively the chairs of the AIME and the AHSME. In addition to a thorough index, they have added material to Contest Problem Book V not included in Contest Books I–IV, such as: a comprehensive worldwide guide to other problem materials, additional solutions to selected problems, and information on the development and history of the AHSME, AIME, and USAMO tests.