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DJNewman
19-Tanzanite
January 3, 2022

PTC Mathcad Community Challenge Index and Guidelines

  • January 3, 2022
  • 52 replies
  • 517420 views
Mathcad Community Challenge Index / Guidelines

PTC is pleased to announce the Mathcad Community Challenge, a bimonthly event where we’ll post an open-ended challenge for you to solve using PTC Mathcad Prime. Feel free to collaborate with other users and their worksheets by attaching your worksheet to your posts here.
 

In general, at the start of every other month, we’ll post a new thread with the challenge. You can post in that thread throughout the month with contributions. Around the middle of the next month, PTC and our affiliates will go through the contributions and create a resolution to it in the form of a Mathcad.com blog article discussing your interesting approaches to the problem. Then, we’ll post a new challenge at the start of the next month.

We hope you enjoy this challenge!
 

Some rules and guidelines:

  • Your contributions will be monitored by PTC and PTC-affiliated parties. We may use them in marketing material, including in post-challenge discussions hosted on PTC properties like Mathcad.com and PTC.com
  • Use PTC Mathcad’s documentation features in your contributions so everyone can follow along
  • Use units whenever possible
  • Only .mcdx (Mathcad Prime) worksheets will be eligible for participation.
  • It is greatly preferred to not use external custom function .dlls. While it's cool to show off Mathcad Prime's custom function feature, relying on them to solve challenges defeats the purpose that these are meant to be solved using Mathcad
  • Humans should create your solution, not an artificially intelligent (AI) bot. Show off your skills as an engineer or mathematician!

Look out for posts by Dave Martin, a former Mathcad instructor, author of Mathcad books, contributor to our PTC.com blogs, and occasional contributor to the Mathcad and Creo YouTube channels. He also runs the popular “Creo Parametric” YouTube channel. Learn more about Dave here.
 

Year Month Challenge Name Challenge Link Blog Link Discipline / Theme
2022 January The Truss Problem https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-tips-391/mathcad-community-challenge-january-2022-131175 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenges-2022#section-1 Mechanical Engineering
2022 March Planetary Gears https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-tips-391/mathcad-community-challenge-march-2022-planetary-gear-calculator-131211 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenges-2022#section-2 Mechanical Engineering
2022 May Isoperimetric Problem https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-tips-391/mathcad-community-challenge-may-2022-an-isoperimetric-geometry-problem-131270 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenges-2022#section-3 Geometry
2022 July Area of a Spherical Triangle https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-tips-391/mathcad-community-challenge-july-2022-area-of-a-spherical-triangle-131304 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenges-2022#section-4 Geometry
2022 September Resistors in Parallel https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-7/mathcad-community-challenge-september-2022-resistors-in-parallel-132261 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenges-2022#section-5 Electrical Engineering
2022 November Football Field Goals https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-7/mathcad-community-challenge-november-2022-american-football-field-goal-geometry-134209 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenges-2022#section-6 Geometry
2023 January Black Holes https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-7/mathcad-community-challenge-january-2023-black-holes-136223 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenges-2023#section-1 Physics
2023 March Multiple Voltage Sources; https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-7/mathcad-community-challenge-march-2023-electrical-engineering-138391 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenges-2023#section-2 Electrical Engineering
2023 May Optimize Trajectory for Horizontal Distance https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-7/mathcad-community-challenge-may-2023-optimize-trajectory-for-maximum-horizontal-distance-140683 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenges-2023#section-3 Physics
2023 July I-Beam Area, Moment, Shear, Deflection https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-7/mathcad-community-challenge-july-2023-civil-engineering-142904 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenges-2023#section-4 Civil Engineering
2023 September Math Art https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-7/mathcad-community-challenge-september-2023-math-art-144894 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenges-2023#section-5 Creative
2023 November Crankshaft and Flywheel Key https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-7/mathcad-community-challenge-november-2023-mechanical-engineering-147166 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenges-2023#section-6 Mechanical Engineering
2024 January Permutations and Combinations https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-7/mathcad-community-challenge-january-2024-statistics-149154 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenges-2024#section-1 Statistics
2024 March Perimeter of an Ellipse https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-7/mathcad-community-challenge-march-2024-perimeter-of-an-ellipse-151401 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenges-2024#section-2 Geometry
2024 May Platonic Solids https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-7/mathcad-community-challenge-may-2024-polyhedrons-and-platonic-solids-part-1-153752 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenges-2024#section-3 Geometry
2024 Summer Game Gallery https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-7/mathcad-community-challenge-summer-2024-game-gallery-155738 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenges-2024#section-4 Creative
2024 November Frustums & Pyramids https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-7/mathcad-community-challenge-november-2024-frustums-and-pyramids-159669 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenges-2024#section-5 Geometry
2025 January AC Circuits https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-7/mathcad-community-challenge-january-2025-ac-circuits-161348 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenge-ac-circuit Electrical Engineering
2025 March Magnetism https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-7/mathcad-community-challenge-march-2025-magnetism-163090 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenge-magnetism Electrical Engineering
2025 May Spin Gravity https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-7/mathcad-community-challenge-may-2025-spin-gravity-165184 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenge-spin-gravity Physics
2025 July Projecting with Non-Euclidean Geometry https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-7/mathcad-community-challenge-july-2025-projecting-with-non-euclidean-geometry-166809 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenge-projection Geometry
2025 September Dijkstra's algorithm-inspired Programming https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-7/mathcad-community-challenge-september-2025-dijkstra-s-algorithm-inspired-programming-challenge-168399 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/community-challenge-dijkstra-algorithm Programming
2025 November You Sank My Battleship! https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-7/mathcad-community-challenge-november-2025-you-sank-my-battleship-169941 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenge-battleship-game Creative
2026 January The Art Gallery Problem https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-7/mathcad-community-challenge-january-2026-the-art-gallery-problem-171327 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenge-art-gallery-problem Geometry
2026 March The Two Body Problem https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-7/mathcad-community-challenge-march-2026-the-two-body-problem-172563 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenge-two-body-problem Physics
2026 May Starman Geometry https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-7/mathcad-community-challenge-may-2026-starman-star-geometry-for-the-greatest-rock-band-of-all-time-173626 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenge-starman-geometry Geometry
2026 July Tautochrone and Isochronous Curves https://community.ptc.com/mathcad-7/mathcad-community-challenge-july-2026-tautochrone-and-isochronous-curves-174755 https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/mathcad/community-challenge-tautochrone-isochronous-curves Physics
2026 September Valencian Towers TBD TBD Civil Engineering
2026 November TBD TBD TBD TBD

 

 

Note: Content will be moderated in accordance with challenge guidelines. Please focus your replies accordingly.

52 replies

DJNewman
DJNewman19-TanzaniteAuthor
19-Tanzanite
March 3, 2025

How do magnets work?

 

 

Maybe you can tell me part of that answer by the time you've completed the March 2025 challenge on magnetism...!

PTC Marketer for Creo and Mathcad. I run their YouTube channels, some Creo campaigns, and all Mathcad campaigns and communications.
DJNewman
DJNewman19-TanzaniteAuthor
19-Tanzanite
April 22, 2025

Replying to DJNewman

Alright I know how magnets work now, especially with the solution blog for the March challenge being live on mathcad.com

PTC Marketer for Creo and Mathcad. I run their YouTube channels, some Creo campaigns, and all Mathcad campaigns and communications.
DJNewman
DJNewman19-TanzaniteAuthor
19-Tanzanite
May 1, 2025

The May 2025 challenge is up. It's about spin gravity and requires... some creativity! Are you up for that challenge?

PTC Marketer for Creo and Mathcad. I run their YouTube channels, some Creo campaigns, and all Mathcad campaigns and communications.
DJNewman
DJNewman19-TanzaniteAuthor
19-Tanzanite
July 2, 2025

The July 2025 challenge is up, and the May 2025 challenge's blog will be coming... soon? Whenever other teams at PTC get it published.

PTC Marketer for Creo and Mathcad. I run their YouTube channels, some Creo campaigns, and all Mathcad campaigns and communications.
DJNewman
DJNewman19-TanzaniteAuthor
19-Tanzanite
July 10, 2025

Replying to DJNewman

(it's published now; it's a good read too)

PTC Marketer for Creo and Mathcad. I run their YouTube channels, some Creo campaigns, and all Mathcad campaigns and communications.
DJNewman
DJNewman19-TanzaniteAuthor
19-Tanzanite
September 2, 2025

September 2025's challenge is up! It's based on programming.

 

Werner already has a strong-looking first entry. Can anyone approach it differently or iterate on his work?

PTC Marketer for Creo and Mathcad. I run their YouTube channels, some Creo campaigns, and all Mathcad campaigns and communications.
DJNewman
DJNewman19-TanzaniteAuthor
19-Tanzanite
October 17, 2025

Given recent entries, we added new guidelines around the use of external custom function .dlls (discouraged) and generative artificial intelligence (these should not be doing your work for you).

PTC Marketer for Creo and Mathcad. I run their YouTube channels, some Creo campaigns, and all Mathcad campaigns and communications.
DJNewman
DJNewman19-TanzaniteAuthor
19-Tanzanite
October 29, 2025

We're putting a close on the September 2025 challenge, and its solution blog is live on... ptc.com.

 

The next challenge will begin very shortly.

PTC Marketer for Creo and Mathcad. I run their YouTube channels, some Creo campaigns, and all Mathcad campaigns and communications.
DJNewman
DJNewman19-TanzaniteAuthor
19-Tanzanite
October 31, 2025

November 2025 challenge is up. Try to simulate Battleship, the game, in Mathcad, as much as you want / can.

PTC Marketer for Creo and Mathcad. I run their YouTube channels, some Creo campaigns, and all Mathcad campaigns and communications.
DJNewman
DJNewman19-TanzaniteAuthor
19-Tanzanite
November 19, 2025

Replying to DJNewman

The November 2025 challenge's deadline is December 13, 2025. A bit extra time!

PTC Marketer for Creo and Mathcad. I run their YouTube channels, some Creo campaigns, and all Mathcad campaigns and communications.