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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
December 11, 2025

My to-do list for these guidelines is to convert them from a bulleted list into a table, and hopefully it'll be easier to navigate. Anticipate this for January or February.

(Also the November challenge is ending in a couple of days.)

Edit: nevermind anticipate it in, like, April instead.

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
January 9, 2026

November Battleship blog is up, and the January 2026 CHALLENGE with The Art Gallery Problem is (and has been) live! Check it out and try to solve it!

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
March 2, 2026

March 2026 challenge on the two body problem is live, while the Art Gallery Problem blog is also live on ptc.com.

 

For the March challenge, do be aware about the PTC Community read-only period starting on March 23 in preparation for the Community migrating platforms.

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 7, 2026

The March 2026 blog is published and May's challenge is up and live.
Reorganising the opening post will happen when I get around to it. It's on my mind.

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
June 22, 2026

Updated for May 2026’s solution blog.
July 2026 challenge coming next week!

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 1, 2026

The Mathcad Community Challenge July 2026 is up, awaiting your participation! Use Mathcad to master the theory behind Tautochrone and Isochronous Curves.

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
August 26, 2026

The blog for the July 2026 blog is published, and Dave will publish September's challenge next week. It’ll be fun!

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