“No again”: A post’s tale of 23 years spent on one math problem
A user shares a story about mathematician Petrov, whose wife asks what will happen when he solves his problem. He says it will become clear. Five years later, his answer is “Not yet.”
TLDR
A post tells of Petrov, a mathematician who spends 23 years on a difficult problem, working less as he ages and eventually mostly staring at it. At noon, he declares “No”; at six, “No again.” His wife’s question about what solving it would mean frightens him—he has never considered it. Meanwhile, two colleagues praise the problem’s importance, and a third doesn’t understand its statement.
Combined views
108.7K
1 Source, first seen 17d ago