The Unsolvable Math Problem
photo taken from googlepages.com
This is a rare urban legend. A student who arrives late for a mathematics examination manages to solve a problem on the blackboard that is not part of the examination. This question is said to of even stumped Albert Einstein. The student who is obviously unaware of his difficulty, finds a solution to the problem, therefore proving the power of positive thinking.
This inspiring story was an actual experience of Stanford University mathematician George B. Dantzig while at University of California-Berkeley. He solved two unsolved problems which he had mistaken for homework in his statistics class.
This legend can be related to the 1997 film Good Will Hunting.
(Source: Brunvand, Jan H. Encyclopedia of Urban Legends. 2001.)
