Computers are fast usurping the roles of flesh and blood humans in a number of areas, but could your college entrance exams be next? Fujitsu has announced that it is working on software that will take, and eventually pass, the math entrance exams at one of Japan’s most rigorous universities.
The math section of the entrance exam at Tokyo University, or “Todai.” is renowned for being incredibly difficult. There are massive word problems that must be solved in stages for full credit, complex spatial geometry proofs, and the application of complex equations that must be memorized in advance. Everything on the test is meant for human eyes, so not only does the software need to understand the mathematics, it has to be able to read the questions. It is this level of difficulty that attracts researchers at Fujitsu.
Here’s an example of a test problem:
Before you think this is some fly-by-night operation, this software application is part of a larger project called, “Can a robot enter Todai?” The project is being overseen by the National Institute of Informatics, one of Japan’s most noted public software research foundations. The goal is to develop software that can pass all parts of the entrance exam. The foundation’s stated goal is to have a software suit capable of achieving strong marks by 2016, and actually winning entrance by 2021.
Researchers hope that applying technology to solving this problem will result in the development of new techniques and spur more research in artificial intelligence. Japanese students won’t have to worry about computers sitting next to them in class, though. Todai bans the use of calculators and other electronic devices on the test. That would seem to disqualify the computer outright.