63rd Annual STS (2003-2004)
Finalists
Yuyin Chen

MICHIGAN
Yuyin Chen, 17, of West Bloomfield, submitted a mathematics project about graph theory to the Intel Science Talent Search. Yuyin considers the optimal way to remove all edges from a complete graph Kn in the least number of steps. At most w edges at a time can be removed, and no more than one edge from each connected part at each step. For each w, he finds upper and lower bounds for the ratio of the optimal number to the number of edges in Kn as n increases. His results are new for finite w greater than 2. Cutting problems in graph theory have extensive applications, including Very Large Scale Integration Systems and geographical information systems. Born in China, Yuyin attends Cranbrook Kingswood School in Bloomfield Hills where he is editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, founder and president of the math club, president of the QuizBowl and computer teams, and plays the violin in the school orchestra. He has co-authored a paper on graph theory that has been accepted for publication in Congressus Numerantium. The son of Jingke and Joy Chen, Yuyin hopes to study math and economics at Harvard or MIT, become a teacher and make discoveries in mathematics.