Mathematics Journey and Insights

The speaker reflects on their early career struggles and the pressure to meet expectations. They discuss how a significant discovery brought them recognition and freed them from self-doubt, allowing them to pursue mathematics for personal interest rather than reputation. The speaker shares insights on unsolved mathematical problems, emphasizing the long-term nature of such challenges. They express a particular fascination with the Monster Group, a complex mathematical structure, and their desire to understand its significance.

What was the speaker's emotional state before their significant mathematical discovery?

• Excited and eager

• Indifferent and uninterested

• Confident and assured

• Worried and doubtful

How did the speaker's recognition affect their approach to mathematics?

• They became more competitive

• They focused on reputation

• They pursued interesting problems freely

• They stopped working on mathematics

What is the speaker's current attitude towards advancing mathematics?

• Focused on immediate results

• Highly motivated to advance the field

• Concerned about future recognition

• Indifferent due to age

Which of the following mathematical problems is still unsolved according to the speaker?

• Riemann hypothesis

• Fermat's Last Theorem

• Four color map theorem

• Continuum Hypothesis

What is the speaker's perspective on witnessing the resolution of long-standing mathematical problems?

• They are optimistic about seeing solutions

• They are resigned to not seeing solutions

• They are actively working to solve them

• They believe all problems will be solved soon

What is the speaker's main curiosity about the monster group?

• How to solve it

• Its historical significance

• Its practical applications

• Why it exists

What is the dimension of the space in which the monster group exists?

• 71,000

• 59,000

• 47,000

• 196,883

How does the speaker describe the properties of the monster group?

• Simple and straightforward

• Unimportant and negligible

• Intriguing and non-coincidental

• Arbitrary and random

What is the speaker's attitude towards their unfinished business in mathematics?

• Determined to complete it

• Confident in completing it

• Resigned to not completing it

• Indifferent to it

What analogy does the speaker use to describe the monster group?

• A puzzle

• A Christmas tree ornament

• A labyrinth

• A mathematical equation