Key to success
It has been said that "You will only have significant success with something that is an obsession." I think that is true to some degree. The correct word is passion not obsession.
For years I have been following developments in the proofs on Unsolved Math Problems. I tried and continue to try to solve a few of those challenging problems. I tried the Goldbach conjecture and recently the problem on Perfect Numbers. The last problem says that there is no even Perfect Number. A perfect number is one that is equal to the sum of its proper divisors (excluding itself). I worked on this perhaps more than a thousand times but no success. It has become a passion and a past time.
Lately my 12-year old son Nathan shared this passion and texted (SMS) me last week that he has proven that there is no odd perfect number. I was ecstatic to say the least. So when I got home, my son eagerly shared his proof to me. His work looks perfect. But the next day, when I began to rehearse his proof in my mind, I noticed a small flaw.
I told my son that there is a little error in his proof. He realized his mistake. But I told him that his approach is better than those I tried before.
So now I continue to search for ways to prove the problem. This time I am not alone. Is this another way of bonding with my son?
For years I have been following developments in the proofs on Unsolved Math Problems. I tried and continue to try to solve a few of those challenging problems. I tried the Goldbach conjecture and recently the problem on Perfect Numbers. The last problem says that there is no even Perfect Number. A perfect number is one that is equal to the sum of its proper divisors (excluding itself). I worked on this perhaps more than a thousand times but no success. It has become a passion and a past time.
Lately my 12-year old son Nathan shared this passion and texted (SMS) me last week that he has proven that there is no odd perfect number. I was ecstatic to say the least. So when I got home, my son eagerly shared his proof to me. His work looks perfect. But the next day, when I began to rehearse his proof in my mind, I noticed a small flaw.
I told my son that there is a little error in his proof. He realized his mistake. But I told him that his approach is better than those I tried before.
So now I continue to search for ways to prove the problem. This time I am not alone. Is this another way of bonding with my son?
posted by Pids Nogales | 4:25 PM
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