I have a math meet coming up tomorrow. I haven’t done much in terms of preparation directly for the contest, but I’ve managed to do a bit of math for at least a few hours a week. Why would I spend several hours a week doing math, a subject abhored by much of the general populace?

The answer is hedonism.

 There is great pleasure to be gained from solving a problem, directly proportional to the difficulty and insight required of the problem. When Andrew wiles solved fermat’s last theorem, he cried. As someone who has spent hours on math problems, I can understand the excitment he must have felt. I don’t pretend or hope that I shall ever achieve his greatness, but I try to understand his struggle with what I do every day.

 

And with that, I must go to sleep.