Live data from Hacker News

Ridiculous Math Problems

dam.brown.edu

21–30 of 41 posts

Re: Ridiculous Math Problems

#21

For more ridiculous math problems I want to submit: The Jewish Problems [0]. These were used when Jewish people were trying to get into grad school in Russia in the '70's. Basically designed so Jewish people wouldn't get in. [0] https://arxiv.org/abs/1110.1556

These seemed like fairly decent problems to put on a mathematics competition…

Re: Ridiculous Math Problems

#22
post #13

For more ridiculous math problems I want to submit: The Jewish Problems [0]. These were used when Jewish people were trying to get into grad school in Russia in the '70's. Basically designed so Jewish people wouldn't get in. [0] https://arxiv.org/abs/1110.1556

The interesting part of thost problems is that once you learn how to answer one, you can answer almost all of them. Of course, that was the issue, the answer wouldn't be accepted. It was a shame these problems were used in that manner.

> The interesting part of thost problems is that once you learn how to answer one, you can answer almost all of them.

I can't see how that would be true. How would you get the solutions to the others by knowing how to do one of them?

Re: Ridiculous Math Problems

#24

This reminds me of the riddle by the good soldier Svejk: ----- "Would you know how to calculate the diameter of the globe?" "No, I'm afraid I wouldn't," answered Svejk, "but I'd like to ask you a riddle myself, gentlemen. Take a three-storied house, with eight windows on each floor. On the roof there are two dormer windows and two chimneys. On every floor there are two tenants. And now, tell me, gentlemen, in which y…

I'm guessing it's a trick question and she's still alive.

Re: Ridiculous Math Problems

#25
Not about algebra, but one good example of ridiculous problems leading to great discoveris in math is how, according to the legend, Cauchy invented complex analysis (at least the theorems on holomorphic and meromorphic functions) just to solve some random integral somebody had given him

Re: Ridiculous Math Problems

#26

For more ridiculous math problems I want to submit: The Jewish Problems [0]. These were used when Jewish people were trying to get into grad school in Russia in the '70's. Basically designed so Jewish people wouldn't get in. [0] https://arxiv.org/abs/1110.1556

These seemed like fairly decent problems to put on a mathematics competition…

Yeah, but absolute hell in an oral exam when applying to a school.

Re: Ridiculous Math Problems

#27
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The interesting part of thost problems is that once you learn how to answer one, you can answer almost all of them. Of course, that was the issue, the answer wouldn't be accepted. It was a shame these problems were used in that manner.

> The interesting part of thost problems is that once you learn how to answer one, you can answer almost all of them. I can't see how that would be true. How would you get the solutions to the others by knowing how to do one of them?

I think the parent comment meant to say that once you see the answer to one of the questions, the question seems easy and simple in retrospect (i.e. the questions are NP hard, in a certain respect).

That's the fact that is usually touted in regards to these questions.

Re: Ridiculous Math Problems

#28
post #19

For more ridiculous math problems I want to submit: The Jewish Problems [0]. These were used when Jewish people were trying to get into grad school in Russia in the '70's. Basically designed so Jewish people wouldn't get in. [0] https://arxiv.org/abs/1110.1556

These days Harward denies entry to Jews based on quotas.

These days South African universities deny entry based on racial and gender quotas. They also have racial quotas for sports.

The rest of the world seems okay with this because they still allow them to participate in international sporting events.

Re: Ridiculous Math Problems

#29
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The interesting part of thost problems is that once you learn how to answer one, you can answer almost all of them. I can't see how that would be true. How would you get the solutions to the others by knowing how to do one of them?

I think the parent comment meant to say that once you see the answer to one of the questions, the question seems easy and simple in retrospect (i.e. the questions are NP hard, in a certain respect). That's the fact that is usually touted in regards to these questions.

Which is funny because we could say the same about competitions like Putnam, but that doesn't make Putnam any easier. But that's the problems with solutions, they are elegant and obvious, but only after the fact. Competition problems are explicitly created to be like that. These problems similarly, but because they could show a simple solution you can "justify" the racial exclusion.

Re: Ridiculous Math Problems

#30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did this cause a toxin like stimulation making jewish students better because they tried to reach impossible goals ? It happened in music a few times.. people invented techniques and subgenres because they tried impossible things or had below useful instruments.

I doubt it. Those problems are close to impossible to solve for ordinary students, therefore many talented but not necessarily genius students lost the opportunity to get good education. I'm a firm believer that students need to be pushed to stay in their discomfort zone, but Jewish Problems can easily push most students into panic zone.

That's one of the principles of deliberate practice: go just beyond the comfort zone, in the area where you feel a challenge, but an approachable one.
Post reply on HN