It's fine to work on any problem, so long as it generates interesting mathematics along the way - even if you don't solve it at the end of the day.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I've always been interested in using mathematics to make the world work better.
Pure mathematicians just love to try unsolved problems - they love a challenge.
I think math is a hugely creative field, because there are some very well-defined operations that you have to work within. You are, in a sense, straightjacketed by the rules of the mathematics. But within that constrained environment, it's up to you what you do with the symbols.
Well, some mathematics problems look simple, and you try them for a year or so, and then you try them for a hundred years, and it turns out that they're extremely hard to solve.
The definition of a good mathematical problem is the mathematics it generates rather than the problem itself.
I hope that seeing the excitement of solving this problem will make young mathematicians realize that there are lots and lots of other problems in mathematics which are going to be just as challenging in the future.
I love speculating about solutions to problems in mathematics. I have no interest whatever in sudoku. But I do look at chess and bridge problems in newspapers. I find that relaxing.
Mathematics is a place where you can do things which you can't do in the real world.
To solve math problems, you need to know the basic mathematics before you can start applying it.
I'd be wary of simple solutions to complex problems.
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